Lagos — The Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has urged Nigerians to join hands in reforming environmental issues, which cause global warming, with a negative health effect.

The call was made by the General Manager of LAWMA, Mr. Deji Kofo at a recent interactive youth forum on Climate Change, with a theme 'Our Climate, our future: Youths taking action on Climate Change' hosted by Earth Reformers Foundation (ERF) a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) at the British Council in Lagos.

At the forum, Kofo said burning of refuse causes the depletion of the ozone layer, which causes global warming; and appealed to Nigerians to assist in dumping refuse in a proper way.

He said LAWMA was established in 1977 in Nigeria but not popular then because they had no bus-truck, they only stayed at the refuse site and burn refuse. "In 1977, when we established LAWMA, we were not using motor vehicles to carry waste from house to house as it is now, and it was not as popular as it is now; but we existed, we burnt refuse at every dumpsite".

Mr. Kofo said, planting of trees also combat global warming in the atmosphere because it takes the carbon-dioxide and produce the oxygen in the atmosphere for human beings to breathe in.

He said that Nigerians should participate in the planting of trees of this year conducted by the Governor of Lagos State, Raji Fashola, which was titled, 'One man, One tree'.

He stated that the waste products are not ordinary waste. "There are some sorts of income from the waste, which are being sorted in different categories, such as the pure water nylon are being sorted in a bag, which is reproduced into plastic rubber and either sold back to a plastic company or used for rubber sandal. And so other waste, when being sorted out and then turned into fertiliser or something else for sale".

He stressed that they are planning to bring in low-emission trucks for recycling of waste, which would reduce smoke in the air and also reduce global warming; whereby there will be no more burning of refuge but recycling with the machine.

He suggested that Nigerians should assist in sorting their waste in different bags in order to make the job easy for them as they endeavour to combat the climate change. "Those who sort their waste in different bags will be given some discount from the amount he /she is supposed to pay and some prizes".

Meanwhile, the service financial Manager of Nokia, Mr. Kola Osinowo, added that electricity and electronic devices can also save energy. He explained further that, instead of using 60, 100 watts of bulb, one can use 10 watts in order to save energy capacity.