Plastic waste: ‘Nigeria to understudy other countries’ – Ministry of Environment

The Federal Ministry of Environment said it has become necessary to study what other countries are doing in terms of circular economy practices in plastics management.

The ministry’s Director of Pollution Control and Environmental Health, Usman Abdullahi Bokani, stated this on Wednesday during a “Seminar on Plastic Circular Economy with Case Studies” under the UNIDO project “Promoting Sustainable Plastic Value Chain Through Circular Economy Practises” in Abuja.

Bokani acknowledged that Nigeria was no stranger to concerns due to the increasing tons of plastic waste in the environment resulting from the packaging and storage of food, drinks, and beverages and shopping, amongst others.

According to him: “Nigeria is no stranger to these concerns due to the increasing tons of plastic waste in our environment from all manner of sources, such as packaging and storage of food, drinks and beverages, shopping, etc., as they litter the environment, block drainages, resulting in flooding, and also release toxic gases when burned or incinerated, with devastating effects on human health and the environment.

“It is, therefore, necessary to understudy what other countries are doing in terms of circular economy practices in plastics management to adopt areas that can apply to our local and national scenarios.”

Speaking also at the conference, the regional coordinator of UNIDO, Mr Jean Bakole, who said the conference was to discuss plastic waste and the ongoing projects, disclosed: “In Nigeria, we have seen consumption exponentially increase from over 500,000 metric tons annually to about 1.2 million metric tons. This also tells you the issue of consumption and management in Nigeria, if this problem is not tackled and effectively managed, it will be a big problem, not only for Nigeria but for the neighbouring countries.

“Fortunately and unfortunately, Nigeria is also along the coastline, which means Nigeria can be a conduit of plastic pollution to other parts of the world.”

He also expressed satisfaction with the level of partnership that exists between the federal government and sub-nationals.

“One of the major advantages that have come out of these projects is seeing how the federal government is effectively working with the state governments. It is very important to us because it makes the work smooth and makes sure that everyone is equally contributing to the success of the project,” he added.

In a goodwill message delivered during the event, the Japanese Embassy stated that the government of Japan will continue to contribute to the promotion of a sustainable plastic value chain in Nigeria and to the livelihood of the Nigerian people.