The Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Coordinator under the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) project, Mr. Williams Wakili, has urged tailors to recycle textile waste generated in their shops as a way of creating wealth and improving sanitation.
Wakili made the call on Friday during a WASH cleanup day campaign organised for the tailors’ association in Ganye Local Government Area of Adamawa State. He encouraged tailors to make better use of waste materials from clothes they sew, rather than discarding or burning them, while keeping their work environment clean.
“What we are trying to do is to begin to encourage tailors to reuse some of these materials, recycle them for better uses,” Wakili said.
“We have seen other people, who produce doorstep carpet and some put it together to make multiple color clothes and dusters among others,” he added.
He explained that recycling textile waste would help reduce dump sites in the community and support healthier living.
Also speaking, Mr. Jared Gangkuba, the WASH Coordinator in Ganye, said the campaign was important for the local government area and Adamawa State. He noted that waste generated from textiles has become a growing concern.
According to Gangkuba, the sensitisation campaign would help tackle challenges linked to waste management by promoting simple recycling practices among tailors and residents.
He called on community leaders and members of the tailors’ association to take advantage of the campaign, explore opportunities from recycling, and improve sanitation.
One of the participants, Faruk Audu, a tailor, commended the organisers for the sensitisation programme and promised to apply what he learned and share the knowledge with colleagues.
Audu recalled that before the training, many tailors burned waste materials instead of recycling them. He said the campaign had shown them ways to reuse waste, including making pillows, mats, moppers and items.
Gloria Ojojonah, a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), expressed optimism that campaigns would improve community waste management.
The campaign was organised by the Adamawa State Rural Water Sanitation and Hygiene Supply Agency, with support from UNICEF and funding from the Netherlands. The event also featured a sanitation exercise involving NYSC corps members and community residents.
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