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L-R: Ben Thomson, Mr. Femi Omikunle, Hon. S.O. Balogun, Mr. Olabode Medale and Chris Richardson.
Student tackles hazardous waste in Nigeria
A Business Entrepreneurship student from the University of Northampton is tackling hazardous waste head on, by helping to launch a social enterprise in Nigeria
T
hird year student Ben Thomson is a co-founder of Green Cycle, a social enterprise that is working to
develop a formal approach to recycling waste electrical and electronic equipment (e-waste) in the city of Lagos, for the benefit of the environment and the health of Nigerian people. Lagos, a densely populated city which is
experiencing rapid economic growth, has had an influx of e-waste in recent years. The city has a large sea port which has allowed shipments of electronic equipment to enter the area, and whilst there is a huge appetite for second-hand imported electronics, many of the loads are unusable and classified as e-waste. Lagos currently has no facilities to
allow the safe recycling of e-wastes, and no formal recycling practices. Informal recyclers burn e-waste in an atempt to extract copper wiring and steel from the electronics. Burning can have severe health implications as it releases dangerous toxins into the atmosphere; older televisions and monitors contain lead and phosphorous pentacholoride, printed circuit boards contain arsenic and cadmium, and fridges contain CFCs. Open dumping also takes place in the city which allows the leaching
of heavy metals, including lead and mercury, into the soil and groundwater – which forms 50% of the area’s drinking water. Ben Thomson’s prior work experience
in recycling and the skills gained during his degree studies inspired him to start Green Cycle with partners George Richards and Chris Richardson. Green Cycle aims to transform the environmental and social problems in Lagos into opportunities, by changing atitudes towards waste and bringing technology and social innovation into the recycling business model. Green Cycle are currently trialling
education programmes and waste collection schemes in Lagos for both households and businesses, and are exploring the possibility of incentive-based recycling points. Ben said: “Northampton is acknowledged
as the UK Centre of Excellence for Waste Management. I have had the opportunity to develop relationships and learn from the highly experienced and acclaimed team at the University, particularly Professor Margaret Bates who has worked on tackling e-waste in Nigeria. Professor Bates has offered a unique perspective from her own experiences and has been a real asset to our project.” UB
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