Rite Foods Limited has donated more than 600 protective coveralls and other materials to street sweepers and workers of the Ogun State Waste Management Authority (OGWAMA) as part of activities marking World Cleanup Day.
The donation, presented at the OGWAMA headquarters, was aimed at supporting waste management workers, recognising their contribution to cleaner communities and promoting environmental sustainability and waste recovery.
Speaking at the event, Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Rite Foods Limited, Ekuma Eze, said the initiative was intended to appreciate workers who operate daily in challenging environments to keep communities clean.
“First and foremost, we want to appreciate the people who show up every day to keep our cities and communities clean. They are doing an amazing job that most of us do not realise,” Eze said.
He said the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) was a practical way of supporting the workers and safeguarding them as they carry out their duties.
According to Eze, the initiative was particularly significant because Rite Foods operates in Ogun State, stressing that the company had a responsibility to contribute meaningfully to the community where it operates.
“The centrality begins at home. We must show that we are part and parcel of the community by starting from here,” he said.
Eze explained that the donation also highlighted the potential of waste recovery and recycling, noting that approximately 30 per cent of the materials used in producing the donated coveralls were recovered from waste generated by Rite Foods’ operations.
“Those wastes that should have ended up in the drains or landfill are what we have repurposed to make the coveralls,” he said.
Rite Foods targets zero waste to landfill by 2030
The company executive disclosed that Rite Foods was pursuing a long-term waste management strategy aimed at achieving zero waste to landfill by 2030.
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“Our belief is that by 2030 we should have achieved zero waste to landfill, meaning that all the waste we generate from our operations, none of them will end in the landfill. All of them will be useful, repurposed, reused and recycled,” he said.
He identified waste labels generated from the company’s sausage and beverage products among the materials being recovered and repurposed.
Eze said the initiative demonstrated how materials commonly regarded as waste could be given a second life and transformed into useful products with social and environmental value.
He also described the partnership with OGWAMA as a continuing relationship rather than a one-off intervention.
“Certainly not a one-off. The government is first and foremost a regulator to us, and our partnership continues as long as our company remains a growing concern,” he said.
According to him, World Cleanup Day provides Rite Foods with an opportunity each year to develop initiatives around the environmental theme for the year.
“This is an annual event, and every year we identify something we can do on this special day, aligning with the theme of the year set by the United Nations,” he said.
Eze recalled that Rite Foods had previously marked the occasion by donating school bags made from recycled waste materials to children.
OGWAMA commends initiative
In his welcome address, the Special Adviser to the Ogun State Governor and Managing Director of OGWAMA, Hon. Farouk Akintunde Adeniyi, commended Rite Foods for the donation and its continued commitment to environmental sustainability.
Adeniyi said the company had demonstrated what he described as a serious commitment to supporting a cleaner environment in Ogun State.
He noted that waste management workers play a critical role in maintaining environmental hygiene and expressed appreciation for the support provided by Rite Foods.
The collaboration, he said, underscored the importance of partnerships between government agencies and private-sector organisations in addressing environmental challenges.
The World Cleanup Day initiative further highlighted the need for responsible waste management, recycling and the adoption of circular-economy practices to reduce the volume of waste sent to landfills.