LAWMA MD tasks engineers on bailing machines.
The Lagos Waste Management Authority(LAWMA) has challenged innovative engineers in the state and the country to design affordable bailing machines for plastic materials, to make recycling business more attractive and less capital intensive.
The Managing Director of LAWMA, Mr Ibrahim Odumboni, made the plea in a keynote address at a stakeholders consultative forum for plastic recycling value-chain in Lagos on Thursdaty, a statement by the agency said.
The statement said that the forum was organised by Giz, a German concern, at the Sheraton Hotels, Ikeja, Lagos.
Odumboni said that the bailing component of the recycling process was a vital one, adding that locally fabricated machines would go a long way in simplifying the process, since they would come cheaper and easier to maintain.
“Bailing is an important component of the plastic recycling process.
“We need our innovative and enterprising engineers to come up with locally designed and manufactured bailing machines that would be durable and affordable for our recycling investors.
“It will be easy to maintain them. If we have this, the business of plastic recycling will gradually become less capital intensive and better domesticated.
“This is my challenge to our local engineers and I know they can do it,” the statement quoted Odumboni.
Accoding to Odumbon, he does not understand why some manufacturers use brown-coloured pet bottles to package drinks for consumption.
“Why? You do not see this in the U.K. or Dubai for example. What is wrong with using white transparent pet bottles? Please, such drink producers should take a second look,” Odumboni warned.
He said that no less than 500 tonnes of fertiliser were produced from organic waste at a LAWMA facility in Odogunyan, a surburb of Lagos.
He added that several tonnes of briquette from sawdust were also daily produced from another LAWMA facility at Agbowa, also a surburb of Lagos.
The LAWMA helmsman enjoined the stakeholders to shun needless competition and work in synergy to tap the huge economic opportunity in the business.
He said there was more than enough floating pet bottles to go round all investors in the value-chain.
Odumboni took a swipe at some NGOs exploiting the process with their cosmetic engagements, describing them as a burden, “with their sharp and ill-intentioned practices, urging them to be truthful, honest and fair, in their chosen endeavour”.