APM Terminals Apapa recycles used lubricants and protective clothing

APM Terminals Apapa has begun the recycling of used lubricants and discarded Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as boilersuits and reflective jackets. This is in partnership with health, safety, and environmental consultants, Kevron Group, and certified by the relevant authority in Lagos State.

Health and Safety Manager, Felix Ugwuagbo said, “We understand the need to monitor the disposal of our used lubricants after their use. We do not want to contribute to environmental degradation and have our used lubricants end up in the waterways, clogging the drains or re- used for transportation that contributes to air pollution.

“We are partnering with Kevron Consulting in this regard. Now our used lubricants are safely evacuated from the terminal, treated and then recycled into other purposes or in some cases, safely disposed of.

“The Same applies to our discarded PPE. We encourage our employees to hand over their torn/unusable reflective jackets, boilersuits etc in exchange for new ones. These discarded PPE are then handed over to a partner organisation that washes, treats and recycles them into rags which are used by for cleaning purposes within our terminal.”

Reduced waste

In order to preserve and prolong the shelf life of PPE to reduce waste generation, the terminal also runs an onsite laundry service which cares for the protective clothing worn by frontline employees.

He added that to ensure the laundry service follows washing guidelines provided by the PPE manufacturers, the terminal’s HSE, facility management and procurement teams works closely together with the laundry service provider.

Over the last few years, Nigeria’s largest container terminal had embarked on a focused campaign to not only reduce its waste but also to recycle them into other purposes through collaborations with relevant authorities and organisations.

Plastic recycling

In 2021, APM Terminals Apapa banned the use of single-use plastic bottled water, eliminating an annual waste of 408,800 plastic bottles.

The terminal also currently purchases boilersuits and reflective jackets produced from recycled PET bottles from its international partner.

Tyre recycling

The terminal has also signed an MOU with FREEE Recycle Limited, to recycle its used tyres into paying blocks for exterior paving.

Terminal Manager, Steen Knudsen, said, “APM Terminals global ambition is to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. Reducing our environmental footprint on solid waste will contribute to this reduction in emissions.

“As a business, we will continue to identify areas of continuous improvement and opportunities, to promote sustainable patterns in our consumption and operations by recycling our waste. It is important to partner with companies with different areas of expertise to complement our efforts to ensure that together, we reduce the environmental footprint of our businesses.”