Foundation warns against dumping food waste in Lagos drains

Wasted food...Photo Credit: Pet Pooja Blog

The Foundation for a Better Environment International has urged households, restaurants and food vendors to sort and dispose of food waste properly, warning that indiscriminate dumping into drains and canals worsens pollution in Lagos.

 According to a statement, the foundation said food waste management requires urgent attention as discarded organic waste contributes to environmental degradation, unpleasant odours and pressure on urban sanitation systems.

 FABE Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Temitope Okunnu, made the call during a cleanup and sensitisation exercise in Magodo, Lagos, on Saturday to mark the 2026 World Cleanup Day.

 The exercise focused on educating residents and businesses on food waste sorting, responsible disposal and composting.

 Okunnu said the campaign aligned with this year’s World Cleanup Day theme, ‘From Clean Plates to Clean Cities’, which highlights the environmental impact of food waste.

 “Data has indicated that over 60 per cent of food waste actually ends up in our dump sites,” she said.

 She said Nigeria needed to pay greater attention to food waste, which comes from households, restaurants, hotels, farms, gardens and markets.

 “We have placed so much focus on plastic waste, of which I am an advocate for zero waste and non-single plastics use for years. But it is now time for us to look inward and find out what the most significant waste generally generated by people is, and it is food waste,” Okunnu said.

 She warned that food vendors and roadside traders often dumped organic waste into drainage channels, contributing to blocked waterways, offensive smells and degraded public spaces.

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 “Most food waste from these roadside traders ends up in our canals and drainages, which increasingly makes Lagos smell badly,” she said.

 Okunnu said FABE members and volunteers were taking the campaign to residents, market traders, fruit sellers, roadside food vendors, hotels and restaurants to encourage proper waste sorting and disposal.

 She added that the foundation was promoting practical solutions that would allow residents to turn food waste into useful products instead of sending it to dumpsites.

 As part of the initiative, FABE is establishing a compost collection point at Goshen Garden in Magodo, where residents can drop off food waste for conversion into compost.

 “We want to serve as a link between the gardeners, farmers and the community to deliver compost from food waste,” Okunnu said.

 She said the foundation also had compost tumblers available at affordable prices to help households, hotels and restaurants process organic waste for gardens and agricultural activities.

 World Cleanup Day, observed on 20 September, brings communities together to tackle waste and promote cleaner environments. The 2026 campaign, facilitated globally by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, highlighted the connection between food waste and cleaner cities.

 Okunnu urged individuals and businesses to take responsibility for their waste, stressing that proper sorting, disposal and composting could help reduce pollution and improve environmental conditions in urban communities.