Low Awareness Threatens Lagos Used Cooking Oil Recovery Drive

Eight months after Lagos introduced a scheme to reward residents for handing in used cooking oil, many households and food vendors in the state say they have never heard of it.

 

Residents and vendors who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews on Monday said they were unaware of the incentives on offer, and none said they had received any direct guidance on safe disposal from environmental authorities or local government officials.

 

The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) unveiled the household-focused collection initiative, known as Ororo Waste, in February to curb pollution and improve public health.

 

It was launched in collaboration with Ororo Waste Management, with the support of Shell Foundation, and is also meant to create economic opportunities through the recovery of used cooking oil across the state.

 

Under the scheme, LASEPA said residents would receive incentives for turning in used cooking oil at collection points across its zonal offices and headquarters.

 

At Ijora Olopa Road, NAN observed a food vendor, Ms Mary Udonwa, frying fish, meat and plantain in different batches of oil.

 

Udonwa said she got rid of her used oil every week by pouring it on the soil.

 

"Whenever I throw it away, it's always into the soil. I don't pour used oil into the sink or drainage," she said.

 

She said she would keep used oil separately if a collection system existed or if she were told how to dispose of it safely.

 

Another Ijora food vendor, Ms Rachel Ametohun, said she used at least one keg of groundnut oil a week, sometimes more.

 

"We reuse oil for certain foods, but we don't use the same oil for different foods. If we use it to fry fish, we don't use it for plantain," she said.

 

According to Ametohun, market officials, local government authorities and environmental agencies have not spoken to vendors about how cooking oil should be used and disposed of.

 

Mrs Anita Ogbenne, an Ijora resident, said she reused cooking oil several times before finally pouring it into the gutter.

 

"If I pour it in my sink, it will block it over time. That is why I pour it in the gutter," she said.

 

Ogbenne said she was willing to learn how to separate and properly dispose of used oil if she were taught about its effects on the environment.

 

Mrs Deborah Abodirin, also of Ijora, said she reused cooking oil to avoid waste, especially when frying chinchin for her household.

 

"I reuse my oil to fry chinchin. I discard it only when it starts to smell bad," she said.

 

She said she had seen a video warning about the possible health effects of reused oil, but had received no direct guidance on disposal.

 

For some residents, disposal methods have been shaped by family habit or hard experience.

 

Mrs Beaumaris Auwal, who owns a restaurant in Egbeda, said she allowed used oil to cool before pouring it into an empty plastic bottle, a practice she learnt from her mother and has passed on to her children and sales attendants.

 

She said she reused frying oil three to five times, sieving it to remove impurities before each further use, and eventually threw away the bottled oil rather than pouring it into drains or sinks.

 

In Ikorodu, Mrs Chika Uwakwe said she mixed used cooking oil with sawdust before disposing of it. She adopted the method after a blocked kitchen sink forced her to replace the entire pipe.

 

"I spent a lot to change the entire pipe and since then, I mix it with sawdust before disposing," she said.

 

"I usually have plenty of sawdust lying around the house, so I put it to good use," she said.

 

Mrs Florence Mbanefo, an Oshodi resident, said she had cut down on cooking oil after her son slipped on spilled oil in their kitchen.

 

She said she now used an air fryer for most fried foods and rarely used oil except when preparing stew.

 

"After that experience, I only use oil to fry my stew and only, when necessary," she said.

 

"I don't even have a fry pan in my kitchen anymore," Mbanefo added.

 

Malam Nuhu, who fries yam around Night Market, Beesam, Airport Road, said he did not know that the disposal of used cooking oil was an issue. He said he always sieved his oil before topping it up with fresh oil.

 

The accounts gathered by NAN point to awareness as the main obstacle between residents and the initiative.

 

For residents such as Udonwa, Ogbenne and Uwakwe, decisions on disposal are driven more by personal and household experience than by any knowledge of formal collection options.

 

Some respondents said they would separate their used oil if regular collection and proper education on safe disposal were available. They said clearer information, accessible collection points and regular engagement could draw more residents and vendors into the scheme.

 

At the launch, the Managing Director of Ororo Waste Management, Mr Ayo Banjo, said households generate up to 60 per cent of used cooking oil.

 

Banjo described households as critical to building a sustainable circular economy through proper recovery of used cooking oil.

 

He said the initiative would create income opportunities, empower youths and improve public health through safer management of cooking oil.