Zero Waste Ambassadors Storm Epe Market, Ask Lagos Government to Champion Waste Segregation, Composting
TheMail Newspaper
Ayetoro Market in Epe Local Government Area was the centre of intense environmental awareness on Saturday, November 29, 2025, as the Zero Waste Ambassadors (ZeWA) led a sensitization campaign calling on traders to adopt proper waste segregation and end the harmful disposal of organic waste at dumpsites.
The outreach, held under the Multi-Solving Action for Methane Reduction Project implemented by the Community Development Advocacy Foundation (CODAF) engaged more than 50 traders of which 70 percent of them were women.
Using an open-air public address system and communicating in Yoruba and Pidgin English, members of ZeWA delivered simplified but impactful messages tailored to the diverse linguistic and educational backgrounds of market users.
The ambassadors highlighted the economic and environmental benefits of separating organic waste from plastics and other non-biodegradables, noting that proper sorting is central to reducing methane emissions and improving community sanitation.
Zero Waste Ambassador, Temitope Adeosun, told traders that organic waste loses its value for composting when mixed with other materials and becomes a major pollutant when transported to landfills. He explained that segregated organic waste can be converted into compost, creating income opportunities for traders while reducing methane, a potent greenhouse gas and strengthening climate resilience in Lagos.
Another ambassador, Oshineye Johnson, warned that fruit and vegetable waste dumped at dumpsites decomposes to release methane, which fuels rising temperatures, extreme weather conditions, flooding, and declining agricultural productivity. He stressed that simple behavioural changes at the point of waste generation could significantly reduce these impacts.
The team also condemned the widespread practice of open waste burning in markets and households.
Adepoju Adebowale, another ZeWA member, explained that burning plastics and mixed waste releases toxic chemicals that heighten the risks of asthma, cancer, and other respiratory ailments. He called on market leaders to discourage the practice and support safer disposal and segregation practices.
Traders welcomed the campaign with excitement, expressing surprise that the waste they often discarded could become a valuable resource. Several requested immediate hands-on training on compost production, noting that it could open new livelihood streams and improve overall cleanliness within Ayetoro Market.
CODAF said this level of enthusiasm shows that communities are ready for a major shift if the government provides the right support systems.
With organic waste accounting for an estimated 31.3 percent of municipal solid waste in Epe, CODAF and ZeWA used the campaign to ask the Lagos State Government to intensify investments and policy action.
Their recommendations include introducing colour-coded bins across markets and households, diverting organic waste to composting facilities, strengthening collaboration between LAWMA and market associations for dedicated organic waste collection, and expanding community-level composting hubs such as CODAF’s Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Epe.
CODAF and the Zero Waste Ambassadors reaffirmed their commitment to advancing zero waste solutions that protect public health, create local jobs, and reduce the methane emissions driving climate change. They said that with coordinated action across communities and government, Lagos can lead a transformative model of sustainable waste management in Nigeria.