Covenant University, Canaanland, Ota, Ogun State, has embarked on a wealth initiative to recycle refuse into useful products, David Olukanni, the chairman, Waste to Wealth Initiative, has said.
Olukanni, a senior lecturer in the Department of Civil Engineering, announced the plan at the inauguration of the Waste to Wealth Project in Ota on Wednesday.
He said the initiative was about sustainability and mitigation of the effects of environmental pollution.
Olukanni said the institution would be looking at the waste management system in dealing with the concept of reducing refuse, recycling and recovery.
“The institution has engaged in a lot of sensitisation programme to carry the entire university along,” he said.
Olukanni said the initiative would be in phases with the first phase dealing with separation of waste in different bins.
He said that the bins, coloured green, red and blue would be sorted as food waste, paper and disposable waste and pet bottles.
Olukanni said that food waste was organic, while papers and disposable waste and pet bottles waste were inorganic.
“The papers and disposable waste will be reprocessed into tissue paper, envelopes and other office materials and food waste will be used as fertiliser for the university farm,” Olukanni said.
He also said that “pet bottle waste would be recycled to pellets” which could be used as virgin materials.
Kolawole Ajanaku, one of the members of the team, said that the initiative would begin from the institution and be later extended to the wider community.
Ajanaku, a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, said waste had hazardous effects on public health and that recycling waste would generate wealth.
The vice chancellor of the university, Chance Ayo, said the initiative would boost internal revenue generation and benefit the people.
Ayo said the programme would create a platform for a healthy and clean environment.(NAN)
