By Dickson Omobola Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Wednesday, launched a waste recycling programme at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos, to reduce the volume of waste generated at the airport and cut carbon emissions. Managing Director of FAAN, Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, said MMIA generated 1,446 tonnes of waste in 2023 and 1,383 tonnes in 2024, adding that virtually all the waste ended up in landfills without being recycled. Speaking at the launch of the programme in Lagos, Kuku, however, said the initiative would mark the beginning of a comprehensive circular economy programme aimed at ensuring that waste generated at the airport was sorted, recycled and converted into valuable resources instead of being dumped in landfills. She said the comprehensive Circular Economy Programme would be implemented in three phases. She said: “In line with FAAN’s circular economy goals and our unwavering commitments towards Airport Carbon Emission Reduction, it is my distinct pleasure to unveil the first phase of our comprehensive Circular Economy Programme: Indoor Colour-Coded Waste Recycling Bins. “In 2023, this airport generated approximately 1,446 tonnes of waste. By 2024, we recorded a modest yet encouraging reduction to about 1,383 tonnes. However, the sobering reality remains that, regardless of volume, every single tonne was consigned to landfill—completely unsorted, entirely unrecycled, and representing a monumental lost opportunity. “That chapter closes today. From this moment, we are overhauling our approach with the strategic precision our operations demand. This milestone inaugurates Phase One, embedding source sorting across our terminals. By initiating separation at the point of generation, we are transforming every passenger, partner, and staff member into an active guardian of our shared environmental destiny. “But this is just the beginning. This indoor system is the vital first step that will feed into phase two: the introduction of outdoor mammoth colour-coded waste recycling bins. These large-scale receptacles will serve as the central collection points for the sorted waste from across the airport ecosystem. “In phase three, we will engage a certified third-party expert who will collect the sorted waste—specifically, plastics, glass, cans, and organic waste—and transport it to dedicated recycling facilities. This partnership ensures that our waste is not merely moved, but transformed. “We are not embarking on this initiative to comply with regulations or global trends; we are doing so because it makes sound business sense. By aligning with the global waste management hierarchy of re-use, recovery and re-cycle, we ensure we adequately account for the waste generated around our airports. “This initiative will assist the organisation in significantly reducing overhead costs associated with procuring new products. By creating a demand for recycled materials, we close the loop and lower our operational expenditure. “Furthermore, this program will drastically reduce the volume of waste sent to landfills, thereby alleviating pressure on our local environment. And we are not stopping there; this is a foundational step as we plan to activate our ambitious Waste-to-Power initiative, turning our waste into a valuable energy source.” Also speaking, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, said the initiative showed that FAAN was aligning itself with global best practices. Keyamo said: “What we are launching here today is actually a trend all over the world. And the trend is to move our airports to cleaner and greener airports. And that is why the Airports Council International, ACI and the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO, most of their core programmes now, have to do with greener and cleaner airports. “So, I want to congratulate all of you for this initiative, for bringing up this initiative. From disposal of waste to moving away from fossil fuels and all of the programmes. In fact, there are some airports already in the in the UK that are called zero emission airports.” Meanwhile, Chairman of the FAAN Board, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, assured FAAN of the board’s support and guidance to ensure the sustainability of the programme. The post FAAN seeks to reverse 1,383 tonnes of airport waste through recycling appeared first on Vanguard News.
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