Rite Foods, OGWAMA Partner On Recycling, Zero-Waste Drive

As part of activities marking the 2026 World Cleanup Day, Rite Foods Limited has partnered with the Ogun State Waste Management Authority (OGWAMA) to promote recycling and environmental sustainability.

The partnership, themed “From Clean Plates to Clean Cities,” also saw the company donate 600 coveralls to street sweepers in Ogun State as part of efforts to support sanitation workers and improve their access to protective equipment.

Speaking at the OGWAMA office, the Head, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, Rite Foods Limited, Ekuma Eze, said the initiative was driven by the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability and its responsibility to communities where it operates.

Eze said the company considered the World Cleanup Day an opportunity to recognise the contributions of street sweepers to maintaining clean and healthy communities.

He said, “We think it is important that we recognise them on this occasion of World Cleanup Day by supporting them with their coveralls and the appropriate PPEs they require to do their job.”

According to him, the initiative also demonstrated Rite Foods’ commitment to the principles of circularity, noting that about 30 per cent of the materials used in producing the donated coveralls were sourced from the company’s waste materials.

He explained that waste labels generated from the company’s sausage and beverage products were repurposed in the production of the coveralls, thereby giving the materials a new lease of life instead of allowing them to end up in drains or landfills.

Eze disclosed that Rite Foods was working towards achieving zero waste to landfill by 2030, with the aim of ensuring that waste generated from its operations was reused, repurposed or recycled.

He stressed that the collaboration with OGWAMA was not a one-off intervention, but part of an ongoing relationship between the company and the state waste management agency.

He added that Rite Foods had previously implemented similar sustainability initiatives, including programmes through which school bags were produced from recycled waste materials.

Also speaking, the Special Adviser on Environment to the Ogun State governor and Managing Director of OGWAMA, Hon. Farouk Akintunde, commended Rite Foods for partnering with the state government to advance environmental sustainability.

Akintunde said environmental cleanliness should not be regarded as the sole responsibility of government, stressing that individuals, businesses and other stakeholders had important roles to play.

“Environmental sustainability is not only the responsibility of the government alone; it is a collective responsibility of all; the government, organisations and the entire citizens of Ogun State,” he said.

He urged corporate organisations operating in the state to support government efforts towards creating a cleaner and healthier environment.

The OGWAMA boss also called on residents to comply with environmental laws and regulations governing waste disposal and environmental protection in the state.

He disclosed that the agency had introduced initiatives aimed at encouraging residents to see recyclable materials as resources rather than waste.

One of such initiatives, he said, was the Blue Box initiative, through which officials and recycling aggregators engage communities, collect recyclable materials and pay residents for the materials recovered.

According to him, the initiative is aimed at increasing public participation in recycling while reducing the volume of waste ultimately sent to landfills.

Akintunde noted that the use of recyclable materials in producing some of the coveralls distributed during the event demonstrated how waste could be converted into useful products.

He said Ogun State hosts a significant number of recycling companies and was moving towards greater conversion of waste into recyclable and reusable materials.

While commending the street sweepers for their contribution to environmental sanitation, Akintunde assured them that OGWAMA would continue to support and encourage them to carry out their duties effectively.