No fewer than 200 waste management enthusiasts and professionals converged on Lagos both physically and virtually for the maiden edition of the Wasset Community Hangout where experts encouraged Nigerians to imbibe effective waste management practices.
The event, according to the organisers, WASSET, a waste management and Regenerative Finance (ReFi) startup, was an avenue to educate members of its community about effective and profitable waste management actions that can make society a better place.
While delivering the keynote address on the “State of Waste: A Global Picture” a waste management expert and founder of TalkTech Innovation Technologies, Mr Afolabi Kayode Yusuf, said: “Today, the current global waste management institution development has been highly dependent on societal, political and environmental issues. For example, in many developing countries, public health is taken for granted and there is no major driver for effective global waste management.”
Speaking further on the challenges, he added that: “There is an increase in the amount of waste in our local communities without an increase in proper disposal and recycling measures in both urban and rural areas.
“Also, there is a lack of environmental awareness in our society and a decline in the effectiveness of the environmental and sanitation days in our country.”
Also speaking at the event with the theme “Let’s Talk About ReFi and Waste Management,” the Chief Executive Office of Wasset, Oluwafemi Boyejo, explained that the focus of Wasset in all its actions is on “how we can create a new financial system that is more focused on making positive impacts on the planet… and how we can make money and put resources together for positive climate action.”
Another speaker who is a founder and community lead in the blockchain and ReFi space, Mr Annaelechukwu Anthony Nduka, spoke on having the mindset of “doing things for the betterment of our environment without being profit-oriented. It’s an action by a group of people who come together to volunteer to do something related to environmental sustainability with the use of blockchain.”
Two panel discussions on “ReFi and Waste Management” and “SDGs and Wasset Contribution” also helped to educate the participants on the state of waste management globally and in Nigeria as well as ways they can get involved through the Wasset platform.
One of the speakers and Founder and Director of Leafgreen Africa, Mr Seun Yusuf, said: “We have not inherited this earth from our parents. We have only borrowed it from our children. So, we must make use of the resources we have today to make sure our children have a good life tomorrow.”
The organiser of the event, Wasset is a web3 blockchain protocol founded on the principles of Regenerative Finance (ReFi). As a platform, Wasset incentivises waste management efforts to encourage proper waste management globally and keep our planet safe.
This ReFi protocol works to manage waste through reuse, recycling, storage, treatment, and energy recovery. As a user, you can leverage the platform to add value by sorting and recycling your waste and selling specific quantities of this sorted waste and recycled items on the Wasset Marketplace among other available functionalities.
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