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From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
The Minister of Environment,Barr. Mohammed Abdullahi has said that research funded by Japan government has proven that Nigerians pay low attention to recycling activities.
Abdullahi while speaking on Tuesday,in Abuja at the inauguration meeting of project steering committee for plastic circular economy project, lamented that only 45 percent of waste are collected , 80 percent of plastic waste goes to dump site while only 10 percent is recycled.
The Minister further lamented that the misuse of plastic and poor management is responsible for most health challenges in the country.
” Misuse of plastic and poor management of its wastes pose danger to human health and the environment as they leach toxic chemical constituents such as endocrine disrupting chemicals which have been linked to infertility, diabetes, prostrate/breast cancer, into foods, drinks and the environment.
Also tonnes of improperly disposed plastic wastes litter our streets, clog up drainages in rural and urban areas leading to flooding incidents as experienced in certain parts of the country recently, contaminate the soll affecting farmlands and livestocks, littering the oceans thereby threatening biodiversity and Increase greenhouse gas emissions when burnt indiscriminately,he said
UNIDO Country Representative and Regional Director for West Africa,Jean Bakole in his remarks stated that plastic litter is a major global environmental problem.
He added that Its production was drastically increased by more than twenty-folds between 1964 and 2015, with an annual output of 322 million metric tonnes. This figure is expected to double by 2035 and quadruple by 2050 if no global action is taken.
” Over the years, the mismanagement of plastic waste is not only contaminating the land ecosystem but it is also being released into the marine environment, thereby polluting it and threatening the biodiversity while also negatively impacting the blue economy. Mismanaged plastics and ineffective waste management is also a source of GHG emissions.
“As the most populated nation with the largest GDP in the African continent, Nigeria’s plastic waste problem is on the increase, this is based on its increased consumption from 578,000 tonnes of plastics in 2007 to about 1,250,000 tonnes. Therefore, the per capita plastic consumption has grown by 5% annually from 4.0kg to 6.5kg respectively. It is estimated that each citizen would consume about 7.5kg of plastics per year.”
The Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Matsunaga Kazuyoshi, said that the committee was to oversee the plastic circular economy project through monitoring the project’s implementation progress.
Kazuyoshi said that the committee would also validate its overall direction and the work plan, and assist in mobilising resources required for project implementation where necessary.
He said that the plastic circular economy would be of use in the field of marine plastics.
The Director, Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), Mr Osilama Braimah, said that the plastic wastes generation was a major environmental problem that needed to be addressed effectively.
Braimah said that the project was expected to be integrated into effective implementation of plastic wastes management in the FCT which would strengthen plastic value chain.
He said that the effort would as well increase the recycling capacity, thereby, reducing the amount of plastic leaking in the environment.
Braimah was represented by Mr Ben Enwerem, Director Solid and Management of AEPB.
