Business Post Contributor
By Sodeinde Temidayo David
The Nigerian government has been asked to ban the indiscriminate dumping of plastic materials in the country as a result of the threat this action poses to the environment.
This call was made by the Consortium on Plastic and Environmental Management (COPEM) in association with several other organizations.
The group noted that the rate at which various environmental issues continue to ravage the world, giving rise to climate change and global warming, should be a source of concern for the nation.
It, therefore, appealed to the federal government to do the needful to stop indiscriminate dumping of plastic waste in the country, which leads to serious environmental impacts. The forum called for a long-lasting, sustainable solution to the problem.
Speaking at the sensitization workshop which briefed on the dangers of plastic waste in Nigeria’s fragile environment, the consortium noted that the plastic waste crisis in the country could be addressed only through sincere actions by the government in addressing plastic disposal.
The workshop forum had 25 civil society organizations (CSOs) in attendance to strategise and approach new ways to fight indiscriminate generation and dumping of plastic wastes, provide lasting and sustainable solutions.
Also, it stressed that the government should not make any further delay in co-ordinating together various laws, policies, and agreements on effective management of plastic waste.
It demanded that the government should urgently come up with a legal and policy framework to manage plastic waste and phase out the use of single-use plastic items and styrofoam so as to ensure that all plastic packaging is either recyclable or biodegradable by 2030.
As reported by Lagos Waste Management Agency (LAWMA), annually, Nigeria generates some 32 million tonnes of waste per year, of which 2.5 million tonnes is plastic.
The country’s disposal, recycling, and waste management system is very inefficient, with 70 per cent of plastic and non-plastic waste ending up in landfills, sewers, beaches, and water bodies.
It was pointed out that there are major challenges confronting recycling interventions in Nigeria including lack of public awareness about the recycling value chain, and inadequate collection infrastructure, especially in remote locations.
This also includes the high cost of logistics, lack of finance, and inadequate implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Programme, a policy placing responsibility on producers to manage the lifecycle of their products.
COPEM further urged the government to be more aggressive and responsive in its fight against plastic pollution.
