The Community Development Advocacy Foundation (CODAF) has called for urgent reductions in methane and plastic production to advance a just transition to a zero-waste economy.
This is contained in a communique issued by Mr. Philip Jakpor, a civil society partner and member of the Waste Parliament, on Thursday in Lagos.
The communique stated that the Expanded Zero Waste Parliament 2026 was convened by CODAF in collaboration with the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) Africa.
It noted that the event, which held on Tuesday in Lagos, brought together over 80 stakeholders.
Participants included government agencies, environmental regulators, farmers, academics, waste pickers, youth leaders, civil society groups, and the media.
According to the communique, the forum—with the theme “Cutting Methane, Curbing Plastics: A Just Transition to Zero Waste”—examined Nigeria’s waste management policies, methane mitigation strategies, and plastics governance.
It noted that delegates observed that rapid urbanization, population growth, and poor waste management had worsened methane emissions from open dumping and landfills.
The communique said delegates noted that organic waste constitutes a significant share of municipal solid waste, generating methane through anaerobic decomposition.
It said the parliament warned against waste-to-energy incineration technologies, describing them as false climate solutions that are incompatible with zero-waste principles.
Participants stressed that methane reduction must not justify the expansion of incineration infrastructure.
They also highlighted weak enforcement of plastic regulations and limited implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
The communique stated that the forum called for mandatory source segregation of waste, expansion of decentralized composting, and integration of methane targets into climate plans.
It added that delegates urged formal recognition and protection of informal waste pickers as essential service providers.
They then called on the Lagos State and Federal Governments to adopt zero-waste policies aligned with climate science and social justice principles.
