FAAN’s Circular Economy Programme To Affect Overhead Costs
The Managing Director and Chief Executive of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs. Olubunmi Onabanjo-Kuku says its comprehensive Circular Economy Program: Indoor Colour-Coded Waste Recycling Bins that it unveiled recently “will assist the organization in significantly reducing overhead costs associated with procuring new products. By creating a demand for recycled materials, we close the loop and lower our operational expenditure.”
The first phase of the programme is Indoor Colour-Coded Waste Recycling Bins. This indoor system will feed into Phase Two, which is the introduction of outdoor mammoth colour-coded waste recycling bins. These large-scale receptacles will serve as the central collection points for the sorted waste from across the airport ecosystem.
“Finally, in Phase Three, we will engage a certified third-party expert who will collect the sorted waste—specifically, Plastics, Glass, Cans, and Organic waste—and transport it to dedicated recycling facilities. This partnership ensures that our waste is not merely moved, but transformed.
We are not embarking on this initiative to comply with regulations or global trends; we are doing so because it makes sound business sense. By aligning with the global waste management hierarchy of Re-use, Recovery, and Re-cycle, we ensure we adequately account for the waste generated around our airports,” she said.
She said the programme will drastically reduce the volume of waste sent to landfills, “thereby alleviating pressure on our local environment. And we are not stopping there; this is a foundational step as we plan to activate our ambitious Waste-to-Power initiative, turning our waste into a valuable energy source.
Our actions today are deeply connected to our global commitments. As you are aware, the Airport Carbon Accreditation program, managed by ACI, is the global standard for carbon management in airports. This recycling initiative is a critical component of our Carbon Management Plan, propelling us further on our trajectory to achieve net-zero requirements. We are not just talking about sustainability; we are engineering it into our operations.
I must also reiterate that FAAN is fully aware of the potential environmental and social impacts of our operations. As an airport operator, we are focused on generating revenue, but we remain steadfast in our commitment to do so responsibly. We strive to be environmentally responsible in our operations, ensuring that our business growth is in perfect harmony with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As we launch this initiative at the MMIA, our busiest airport, other international airports will receive their bins in the coming months.”
Kuku further explained that “in 2023, this airport generated approximately 1,446 tonnes of waste. By 2024, we recorded a modest yet encouraging reduction to about 1,383 tonnes. However, the sobering reality remains that, regardless of volume, every single tonne was consigned to landfill—completely unsorted, entirely unrecycled, and representing a monumental lost opportunity. That chapter closes today. From this moment, we are overhauling our approach with the strategic precision our operations demand. This milestone inaugurates Phase One, embedding source sorting across our terminals. By initiating separation at the point of generation, we are transforming every passenger, partner, and staff member into an active guardian of our shared environmental destiny.”
“As we unveil these bins, I want to leave you with a powerful reminder: “Waste is everybody’s business.” From the passenger dropping a plastic bottle, to the concessionaire managing their packaging, to the airline handling inflight catering—we all have a role to play. I urge you to embrace this system, to use these bins correctly, and to join us in building a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable aviation industry for Nigeria,” she said.
