Nigeria can use waste to combat pollution – Don

If properly harnessed and managed, waste can be a veritable means of combating pollution in the country.

Professor Omodele Abiodun Abosede Eletta of the Department of Chemical Engineering dropped the above hint while delivering the 204th Inaugural Lecture of the University of Ilorin weekend.

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The lecture was themed “Bad Yet Good: Rummaging And Combatting For Future Water and Land Security” held at the school auditorium.

According to her, “To ensure a secure future of the environment, the need for the development of waste utilisation and environmental protection for a sustainable future is very important adding that the university can be used as pilot scheme of proper waste management.

Professor Eletta noted that waste can be managed sustainably through the 7Rs of waste management which include reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose, refuse, rot and rethink.

“We have to continue to look through wastes and separate values that can be used to combat pollution to ensure future security for both water and land” she said.

To this end, the Don stressed the need for the federal government to mobilise key industry stakeholders and educational administrators in the country to achieve healthier and cleaner environment.

“There should be a handshake between the Federal Ministry of Environment and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) National Environmental Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and the academia to ensure a cleaner and healthier environment for Nigerians in line with their mandates.

“Instead of having wasted waste, we can have wastes that can serve as feedstock to other processes within the community. This can be achieved by having wastes sorted from the source. This is an academic environment and I know that, with the creation of awareness, monitoring and enforcement, it is possible. The use of marked coloured bins will go a long way to help add value to the solid waste generated”, she added.