NESREA lists 6 ways to protect environment at RecycleGarb’s Ibadan Goes Green campaign

National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency’s (NESREA) Southwest Zonal Director, Mr Adeleke Ajani has listed six ways the agency and the public can protect the environment.

Mr Ajani was a guest speaker at an environment awareness seminar organised by RecycleGarb, a non-governmental organisation in the environment space. The seminar held last Friday at Lead City University, Ibadan, was part of a two-day event tagged Ibadan Goes Green.

Mr Ajani pointed out the six ways to include:”Putting in place pollution control tools and through compliance with national environmental laws, regulations, guidelines, standards, policies and the international conventions on the environment.

“Public participation and citizens’ involvement in environmental education and awareness creation through the social media, stakeholder engagements, billboards, radio jingles, TV adverts for target groups,” and”Advocacy, collaboration and partnership among stakeholders.”

Other ways according to him include: “Containment of toxic substances and waste; Investigation and inspection visits to industrial facilities, andenforcement of environmental laws, regulations, standards and guidelines.”

• Waste management: RecycleGarb partners Lead City University to sensitise students

Founder of RecycleGarb, Adebola Sobanjo, said her love for the city and hate for filth were part of the motivating factors for convening the seminar.

She said, “I have lived in Ibadan for more than 11 years and fallen in love with the city. One thing I cannot continue to condone and we all should refute and refuse to kowtow is the level of environmental filth and increasing levels of environmental decadence.

“It is appreciated that as Ibadan develops more as people migrate. With this migration, we expect waste levels to increase.

“We cannot leave it all to the government, we have to play our part. We must get involved otherwise we will lose the aesthetical mix of tradition and modernisation to waste and pollution.

“RecycleGarb boasts of sustainable recycling as against incarnating waste.

“Every waste has economic value and by exploring the potential of this waste we can improve Ibadan drastically while sparing the environment harm.

“We preach environmental sustainability and climate change mitigation; and to achieve this we believe in partnership.

“So, if you want to partner or join us, Ibadan is big enough. But we need cooperation and not competition, especially in creating awareness and education which lies at the heart of our campaign and these events.”

Day two of the event saw the RecycleGarb team stage a walk to clean-up the streets of Ibadan and create awareness about waste recycling.