WATSE INTO WEALTH

The failure of  government and other relevant authorities to convert wastes into wealth has been identified as one of the causes of dirty environments and attendant health hazards in Nigeria.
In today's news analysis correspondent underscores the socio-economic benefits of waste recycling to Nigerians and the environment.
Waste is a substance or anything that is discarded or disposed off after primary use or something that is considered worthless.
It is classified into different categories such as solid, liquid or organic wastes.
In developed countries of the world, waste are very useful and they are recycled into useful products, that is sold back to the markets, thereby generating income for their citizens and the government.
Such countries take advantages of these large population, which generate huge tons of wastes daily to boost their Gross Domestic Product GDP and create wealth for their citizens.
On the contrary, Nigeria as a country with a large population that generates many tons of wastes daily is still struggling to get it right, with wealth in forms of wastes littering everywhere .
Effective waste management is a major environmental issue in Nigeria's development discourse.
In developed countries wastes are sorted into different bags, both at homes, places of work and even in the markets, with the sole aim to sell them neatly to recycling firms, thereby generating little funds and also help in keeping the environment clean.
Furthermore, this practice creates wealth and also helps to sanitize the environment as well as eradicate health problems from the society.
On the other hand, organic wastes generated from the kitchens, restaurants and social events can be turned into manure to be used by farmers or the left over foods can be given to animals to feed on, rather than discarding them indiscriminately.
Such organic wastes can further be recycled into animals and poultry feeds, for those involved in fishery business, poultry and animal husbandry.
In addition, wastes from grasses and other vegetations can serve as foods for both terrestial and aquatic animals.
Now that government has placed much emphasis on Agriculture, Nigerians should exploit this opportunity by going into partime or full time farming, using organic wastes and grasses to feed animals and fertilize their farmlands.
This will no doubt help to boost food production in Nigeria and also help diversify the economy as well as reduce unemployment, hunger and crimes in the nation.
Nigerian government and investors should delve into the waste to wealth business by building recycling plants at strategic locations, so as to help collect wastes from that axes and recycle it into useful products.
Moreso, government should make policies and enact laws that will help promote the waste to wealth enterprise in all States of the Federation.
If well to do Nigerians can set up recycling plants that can transform waste into valuable commodities, then the nation's dependence on the oil sector will reduce and this will also help promote made in Nigeria products thereby strengthening the Nigerian naira.