By Itohan Abara-Laserian
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has launched a waste segregation and recycling programme at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
FAAN Managing Director, Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, announced the initiative on Wednesday, describing it as part of the authority’s circular economy and carbon reduction goals.
Kuku said the first phase involved introducing indoor colour-coded waste recycling bins across airport terminals.
“It is my distinct pleasure to unveil the first phase of our comprehensive Circular Economy Programme: Indoor Colour-Coded Waste Recycling Bins,” she said.
She said the initiative would end indiscriminate waste disposal at the airport, where waste had previously been sent directly to landfills without sorting or recycling.
Kuku disclosed that MMIA generated 1,446 tonnes of waste in 2023 and 1,383 tonnes in 2024.
She described the disposal of all the waste in landfills as a significant economic and environmental opportunity lost. “That chapter closes today,” Kuku declared.
According to her, the programme would be implemented in three phases, beginning with source separation within airport terminals.
She said passengers, concessionaires, airlines and airport workers would separate waste at the point of generation.
Kuku said the second phase would involve deploying large outdoor colour-coded recycling bins across the airport as central collection points.
The third phase, she added, would involve certified recycling companies collecting plastics, glass, metal cans and organic materials.
She disclosed that FAAN had begun discussions on a waste-to-power initiative to convert airport waste into energy.
Kuku said the initiative would help offset the significant electricity demands of airport operations while promoting environmental and financial sustainability.
She said adopting the global waste management hierarchy of reuse, recovery and recycling would reduce costs and improve resource efficiency.
The FAAN boss linked the programme to the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme of the Airports Council International (ACI).
She said the initiative would accelerate FAAN’s progress towards achieving international net-zero carbon targets.
“We are not just talking about sustainability; we are engineering it into our operations,” she said.
Kuku said similar recycling initiatives would be launched at other international airports across Nigeria in the coming days.
She urged passengers, concessionaires, airlines and other airport users to embrace the recycling system and support a cleaner aviation industry.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, applauded FAAN for aligning its operations with global environmental best practices.
“What we are launching here today is actually a trend all over the world,” Keyamo said.
He said the global aviation industry was moving towards cleaner airports and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
Keyamo said the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and ACI had made cleaner and greener airports central to their programmes.
He disclosed that he had directed contractors handling a new airport project to incorporate solar power into the facility’s design.
“At the point of design, I gave that directive that the roof of that new airport must handle solar panels,” he said.
Keyamo said the initiative aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to promoting green energy.
Chairman of the FAAN Board of Directors, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, expressed support for the recycling programme.
Ganduje said recycled waste could be converted into useful by-products, including electricity.
He assured that the FAAN board would provide the necessary support and guidance for effective waste management. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)