Stakeholders in environmental protection in Kaduna State have called for stronger collaborations and innovative strategies to address waste management challenges threatening human and ecological health.
The call was made at the Kaduna Monthly Climate Hangout organised by the Interfaith Mediation Centre in partnership with African Climate Reporters and the Kaduna State Government.
The February forum was themed “Rethinking Waste: Innovative Recycling Solutions for a Greener Kaduna”.
It brought together scientists, climatologists, geologists, academics, religious leaders, journalists, youths, civil society and non-governmental organisations focused on climate and environmental protection.
The participants exchanged ideas on practical approaches to reducing waste pollution, flooding and land degradation in the state.
Delivering the lead paper, Yahaya Muhammed, Controller-General of Safety Awareness and Environmental Support Initiatives, urged strengthening recycling companies’ capacity to manage increasing waste volumes.
He said that public education was critical to ending harmful practices such as open waste burning, which poses serious environmental and health risks.
Muhammed said that plastic waste remained a major challenge but could be recycled into useful products with innovation and investment.
He warned against burning dump sites in residential areas, adding that proper waste management could generate income, describing waste as wealth.
He commended the Kaduna State Government for Operation Tsafta and the revival of monthly environmental sanitation exercises.
Also speaking, Bala Umar, President of the Association of Horticulture Farmers Unity and Development, Kaduna State, disclosed that farmers raise over 50 million seedlings annually using discarded sachet water.
He said the sachets were collected from streets and used as nursery materials by horticulture farmers across the state.
According to Umar, the practice converts waste into productive use while reducing pollution and flood risks.
He urged the residents to stop indiscriminate plastic disposal and support efforts toward a cleaner environment.
A Kaduna Polytechnic lecturer, Malama Halima Haruna, called for sustained public sensitisation on the dangers of improper waste disposal.
She urged the stakeholders to promote innovative recycling practices and strengthen recycling companies across northern Nigeria.
Haruna said the recycling sector had the potential to create thousands of jobs if properly supported.
Meanwhile, Mr. Samsam Auta, Co-Director at the Interfaith Mediation Centre, described the Climate Hangout as Kaduna’s strongest climate platform.
He said the forum provided space for dialogue, collaboration and policy discussions on climate change and environmental sustainability.
Auta commended journalists and media organisations for their active participation.
Contributing as a panelist, Malama Hajara Dan-Musa, Founder of Al-Ihsan Fruits Plus, shared household and community-based recycling solutions.
She highlighted compostable packaging from sugarcane bagasse, organic waste composting, food waste repurposing and simple greywater reuse methods.
By Aisha Gambo