Communique

COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL WOMEN ENGINEERS OF NIGERIA (APWEN)
BUSINESS LUNCHEON WHICH TOOK PLACE ON THE 25TH JUNE 2010,AT WELLINGTON HOTEL, EFFURUN, DELTA STATE.

KEYNOTE LECTURE BY DR. ADETOUN MUSTAPHA

THEME:

SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT - BRINGING TOMORROW INTO TODAY’S CHOICE

The following were agreed upon:

1.      Waste management involves monitoring, collecting, transporting, processing recycling and disposal of waste materials.

2.      Impact of climate change such as floods, desertification, degrading, ecosystem and loss of biodiversity emphasizes the need for sustainability in waste management.

3.      The primary goal of effective and sustainable waste management is preventive, reduction, followed by re-use and recycling, recovery and lastly safe disposal.

4.      Waste material chain should be managed holistically, with the aim of establishing clean, closed loops where wastes become the resource for new product.

5.      Revenue can be generated from sustainable waste disposal, e.g. biogas.

Recommendation:

1.      Engineers should be vanguards of sustainable waste management as they are better positioned to bring about source reduction and preserve resources through eco-innovation in front end engineering designs.

2.    Engineers should drive the implementation of energy sustainability actions  in Nigeria.

3.      Engineers should identify innovative and integral project designs to include waste management and environmental solutions from the design phase to construction and ultimately to occupancy and facility management.

4. Communities should be encouraged to institute regulated open space dumping and discourage open burning.

5.      Communities should be encouraged to separate waste at source. Collection followed by re-use and recycling of the non-organic fraction.

6.      Communities should be encouraged to generate energy and compost/fertilizer from organic waste fraction via anaerobic digestion.

7.      Communities should be discouraged from direct handling of waste material at dump sites and open land fields to reduce disease burden and prevent biological and chemical contaminations.

8.      Communities should be encouraged to conduct life cycle assessment for environmental burden associated with processes or products from cradle to grave fashion i.e. production of the raw materials to ultimate disposal of waste.

9.      All tiers of government should include sustainable waste management in their programmes to facilitate the attainment of millennium development goals (MDGs).