The Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources and the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, has launched household used cooking oil collection kiosks across the state.
According to The PUNCH, the move aims to enhance environmental protection, public health, and climate action while tapping into a biofuel market valued at a minimum of $20 million.
The programme, implemented in collaboration with Ororo Waste Management and supported by the Shell Foundation, was officially unveiled on Thursday at an event attended by government officials, private sector partners, environmental experts, and youth representatives.
Speaking at the event, LASEPA’s General Manager, Dr. Babatunde Ajayi, highlighted that the initiative is designed to position Lagos as a significant player in the global biofuel supply chain while tackling pollution and public health issues arising from the improper disposal of used cooking oil.
“This initiative is about unlocking a minimum $20m market in Lagos and putting the state on the global map in the biofuel supply chain.
“Globally, aviation fuel and other energy sources must comply with climate change parameters. Used cooking oil is a critical feedstock in the biofuel value chain, and Lagos ranks very high in terms of potential,” Ajayi said.
Ajayi noted that Nigeria’s large population and widespread use of cooking oil make the country one of the world’s leading producers of used cooking oil, with Lagos alone contributing roughly 50 per cent of the national volume.
“Medically, reheating cooking oil more than once alters its chemical composition, making it harmful to health. Environmentally, when used oil is poured into drains, it combines with plastics and styrofoam to block drainage systems, damage roads, and increase flooding,” he said.
He explained that while LASEPA has been collecting used cooking oil for about two years, the agency is now rolling out a more structured approach through manned collection points at all LASEPA zonal offices and its headquarters.
“People can now turn in their used cooking oil and get rewarded. This market excludes nobody. It starts at the household level, and people can earn income from what was previously considered waste,” Ajayi said.
According to him, the initiative will help reduce costs for repairing damaged roads and drainages, curb pollution-related illnesses like cholera, and improve overall living conditions in Lagos.
“As a city, we are deliberate about climate action. Used cooking oil should not end up in our drains. Instead, it should become a valuable resource that feeds into the global biofuel market,” he added.
Ajayi emphasized that the programme will depend heavily on voluntary compliance rather than enforcement, stressing that economic incentives would drive participation.
“When you put money at the end of any chain, it works. This initiative will encourage voluntary compliance and transform waste into economic value for the people of Lagos,” he said.
He further revealed that the state is aiming for Nigeria to become the third-largest used cooking oil supplier globally, after China and India, within a year.
“The value chain we are keen on is the biofuel route because it directly relates to climate action, environmental sustainability, and measurable impact,” Ajayi said.
Also addressing the event, LASEPA’s Director of Environmental Sustainability, Mrs. Dayo Adebayo, described the programme as inclusive and grassroots-driven.
“This programme cuts across the three pillars of sustainability—the people, the planet, and prosperity. It reaches the grassroots and embraces a circular, eco-friendly system where used vegetable oil is recycled and converted into economic value,” she said.
She added that the kiosks at LASEPA zonal offices would encourage participation across all gender and socio-economic groups.
Ororo Waste Management’s Managing Director and Project Lead, Mr. Ayo Banjo, said the initiative links environmental sustainability with public health and livelihood enhancement.
“You cannot separate environmental sustainability from public health. Overusing cooking oil increases the risk of cancer, while improper disposal damages drainage systems and spreads disease,” Banjo said.
He noted that while the company previously focused on restaurants and hotels, it is now expanding to households, which generate about 50 to 60 per cent of used cooking oil.
“We are creating an ecosystem where households can earn extra income, waste pickers can have dignified livelihoods, and youths can become micro-entrepreneurs,” he said.
Banjo praised LASEPA for establishing a regulatory framework that allows Nigeria to engage meaningfully in the global biofuel supply chain.
“Nigeria is believed to be the third-largest producer of used cooking oil globally after China and India, and Lagos alone can contribute half of that volume. What LASEPA has done will go down in history,” he added.
Similarly, LASEPA’s Director of Air Quality Management, Mrs. Ayodele Oso, highlighted that the initiative would help curb emissions and air pollution linked to unsafe reuse and open burning of used oil.
“This programme supports cleaner communities and a healthier Lagos. By recycling used oil, we reduce emissions, unsafe reuse, and open burning, which directly affect air quality,” Oso said.
She encouraged households, vendors, and small businesses to embrace the programme, calling it a forward-looking initiative aligned with Lagos’ environmental sustainability and public health goals.
The state government also revealed that youths would be central to driving awareness and participation, acting as “vanguards and foot soldiers” in spreading information across communities, markets, restaurants, and residential estates.
