Firms move to convert organic waste into biogas

As part of its initiative to curb food waste, and reduce methane emissions into the environment, the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) in collaboration with FABE International Foundation, has revealed plans to convert organic waste into biogas.

Abimbola Ajayi, assistant director of the waste engineering project at LAWMA, at the #ProjectCleanAir environmental sanitisation held recently at Ketu Fruit Market, said the agency is partnering with the private sector to tackle waste in the state.

“Therefore, going forward, particularly in this fruit market, the government agenda, for its second term, is to ensure that we have low methane emissions in our society,” he said at the event organised by FABE International Foundation in partnership with Prudential Zenith Life.

Biogas is a mixture of carbon dioxide and methane that is produced by the bacterial decomposition of organic waste, such as plant residues, animal manure, sewage, and garbage.

Ajayi stressed the need for Lagos State to separate organic waste from landfills, noting that doing this would provide an enabling environment for easy conversion into renewable energy.

“Biogas is a gas that is formed by anaerobic microorganisms, whereby methane and bioenergy are produced and fertilised from it. The Ketu market has been a pilot for that. This is because it has the largest organic market in Lagos,” he said.

He said the state government aims to fully kick-start the waste conversion plant sometime in June 2025, however, it will first be commissioned in December 2024 providing 29 megawatts of electricity for the market from fruit waste.

According to him, “By June 2025, we should be able to produce electricity for the market and provide bio-fertiliser for them.”

He pleaded with the marketers to separate their waste properly, adding that raw waste produced by the market can be converted into biodegradable materials needed by LAWMA.

Emphasising the impact of a clean environment, Temitope Okunu, founder of FABE International Foundation, said the non-governmental organisation wants marketers to understand the importance of a clean environment on health and general well-being.

Okunu said, “We are here today and our mission is very clear; we want to sensitise the market people, especially because this is the major source of fruit waste in the state. So that they can become advocates for change themselves.”

“From research, we know that fruit waste can generate biogas and compost. Here in the Ketu market, we have a biogas digester and it has not been harnessed. We want the marketers to learn how to segregate their waste into organic and inorganic waste,” she added.

She noted that the #ProjectCleanAir aims to ensure that all mini-illegal dump sites are transformed into mini gardens, making use of compost derived from various markets to fertilise these gardens.

“We can now promote such practices to support the work that the Lagos State Government is already doing through LAWMA.”

Similarly, Charisse Ige, chief strategy and transformation officer, Prudential Zenith Life, reiterated that the goal of the clean air project was to foster sustainability in the environmental ecosystem.

“We want to see a reduction in carbon footprint in our environment and in doing so, we need to watch our emissions. We also need to proactively clean up our environments including the markets which is what we are doing today,” she said.

Thanking the NGOs and LAWMA, Shola Olokungboye, secretary of Ketu market, said the environmental state of the market was better due to the work of the state government in clearing waste.