LAHORE: Punjab Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafique has said that the Suthra Punjab is not just a programme limited to cleanliness, but safe dumping and recycling of waste is a part of it.
He was addressing a meeting held on Wednesday which reviewed various schemes for eco-friendly recycling of waste collected under the Suthra Punjab programme. Punjab Local Government Secretary Shakeel Ahmed Mian and Additional Secretary Ahmer Kaifi also attended the meeting.
The Minister, while mentioning the losses caused by global climate change, said Pakistan will also claim carbon credits through safe dumping of waste per the Paris agreement. He expressed his determination that an environmental challenge like waste will be converted into a national asset under the waste to value project.
He averred that after the approval of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the Punjab government will build the country’s first recycling park at Lakhodeer, a suburb of Lahore. Annual revenue of Rs 1 billion is expected from the carbon credits of Lakhodeer alone.
A plan to generate energy from offal is also under consideration, he said, adding that it is estimated that 1,000 tons of energy will be generated from the waste.
Zeeshan Rafique further said that investors will be invited to join this project by organising road shows at home and abroad. “Offers have also been received to produce biogas and construction bricks from the waste,” he disclosed.
“After Lahore,” he went on, “waste will be utilised in other cities. The provincial government directed the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) to finalise and submit the details of the road shows so that the next course of action can be considered.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.