Ogun Fights Plastic Pollution with Cash-for-Waste Programme
Ogun Fights Plastic Pollution with Cash-for-Waste Programme
The Ogun State Government on Tuesday launched two key initiatives—Plastic for Cash and Blue Box—aimed at addressing plastic pollution and environmental degradation.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony held at the Owu Palace, as part of events marking the 2025 World Environment Day themed “Beating Plastic Pollution,” the governor’s wife, Bamidele Abiodun, said the programmes are designed to both incentivise plastic recycling and responsible waste disposal, while also promoting a broader culture of environmental sustainability.
She said the initiatives showed how creative thinking could drive lasting behavioural change.
She, therefore, called on residents to support the initiatives, adding that a growing crisis of plastic pollution would affect health, the economy and the planet.
“We must confront this challenge with bold ideas, practical solutions and collective resolve to have a clean, healthier and safer environment,” she said.
Speaking earlier, the Commissioner for Environment, Dr Ola Oresanya, said the theme for this year’s World Environment Day was not only timely but critical for the ecosystem, the economy and citizens.
The commissioner added that plastic products such as bottles, shopping bags, cups and others had grown into a global crisis choking water bodies, polluting lands and infiltrating the food chain.
Oresanya emphasized that the Plastic for Cash and Blue Box initiatives go beyond policy—they represent a movement aimed at driving behavioural change. Through these programmes, residents will be able to exchange sorted plastic waste for cash or value-based items.
Also speaking at the event, the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Saka Matemilola, urged residents to adopt a more responsible attitude towards waste disposal. He cautioned that indiscriminate dumping of plastic waste not only harms the environment but also endangers aquatic life.
The event featured goodwill messages from the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), the Nigerian Environmental Society, and the Ogun State Waste Management Authority.
