5th Cycling Lagos: Experts Seek Investment, Policy Enforcement to Boost Recycling
Environmental experts, waste managers, recyclers and private-sector stakeholders have called for increased investment, stronger policy enforcement, long-term financing, improved infrastructure, technology and behavioural change to unlock Nigeria’s recycling potential.
The stakeholders made the call at the 5th Cycling Lagos Webinar held on Thursday, September 3, 2026, ahead of the 5th Cycling Lagos scheduled for Saturday, September 12, at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
The webinar, themed “Trash to Treasure: Unlocking Recycling Capacity for a Sustainable Future,” examined ways to expand recycling capacity, strengthen the circular economy and turn waste into economic value.
The National President, Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWAMN), Dr Olugbenga Adebola, said Nigeria must stop treating waste solely as an environmental problem and recognise it as an economic resource.
“Waste is not waste unless you waste it,” Adebola said, stressing the need for accurate data, improved infrastructure and affordable long-term financing. He said only about 18 per cent of Lagos waste was currently recycled and called for 10-to-15-year financing for the capital-intensive sector.
“I have invested hundreds of millions of naira into recycling, and I am not making what I am supposed to be making,” he said, noting that a new compactor could cost more than N150 million. He added that AWAMN members had contributed to more than 30,000 direct and indirect jobs in Lagos.
The Director of Sahara Group Foundation, Chidilim Menakaya, called for investment in collection, sorting, processing infrastructure, technology and public education, stressing that government must provide the right policies while the private sector brings capital and investment.
“If the public do not understand the reason why they have to recycle, there is no need for you to put infrastructure in place,” she said, urging entrepreneurs and young people to explore waste collection and aggregation as viable businesses. She also highlighted recycling dashboards and reverse vending machines, advising entrepreneurs to “start small” and scale through partnerships.
The Regional Coordinator, South-West Division of the Recyclers Association of Nigeria, Princess Florence Oluwafeyikemi Egbeyemi, said recycling should be treated as industrial policy, urban infrastructure and resource security.
She called for a shift from waste collection to transforming recovered materials into industrial feedstock, saying: “Waste becomes material. Material becomes feedstock. Feedstock becomes product. And product creates value.”
Egbeyemi advocated stronger Extended Producer Responsibility implementation and the integration of informal recyclers through training, finance, protective equipment and traceability systems. She also proposed a South-West circular economy model linking Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti.
The Managing Director/CEO of Mountains Energy Solutions Ltd, Engr Olusegun Okedoye, identified weak policy enforcement, inadequate infrastructure, limited awareness and cultural attitudes as major barriers.
“Government has a lot of policies, there is no doubt about it, but the enforcement of those policies is nearly non-existent,” he said, calling for sustainable infrastructure, environmental education and technology transfer.
In his opening remarks, the President/CEO of Cycling Africa Limited and Convener of Cycling Lagos, Mr Bamidele Adeleye, said the “Trash to Treasure” campaign sought to highlight Lagos’ waste challenge and the economic opportunities in recycling.
He said Cycling Lagos was more than a sporting event, promoting healthy living, environmental consciousness and sustainable transportation, and urged stakeholders to turn the discussions into practical action.
The webinar was moderated by Clara Okoro, MD, Brand World TV.
The 2026 Cycling Lagos is organised by Cycling Africa Limited in collaboration with the Lagos State Cycling Association.
