NITP tasks FG on policy for recovery, management of plastic wastes

RAISING the alarm by the effects of plastic waste on human health, marine lives and the environment, president of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Mr Nathaniel M. Atebije, has called on the government to develop a policy for recovery and management of plastic wastes.

He also called on all stakeholders to act cautiously in the use of plastics to minimize the negative impacts on the environment.

In his presentation on: “Towards Evolving Solutions to Plastic Pollution in Nigeria: Urban Planning Perspective,”  while joining the rest of the globe to celebrate the World Environment Day 2023, Atebije explained that the overall objective of the policy should be  to ensure zero-waste disposal of plastic waste.

“Its fulcra shall include institution of strategies for waste separation; legislation against illegal dumping of plastic materials; establishment of drop-off centres/boxes in all major cities; institution of return system involving exchange of plastic for money; provision of incentives including granting tax relief to any company which  purposefully produces biodegradable packaging materials instead of plastic products, and compelling commercial outfits to adopt biodegradable packaging materials.

“Others would include institution of levies and taxes on production of plastic bag; development of formal market for plastic waste recovery and establishment of formal linkage of scavengers with plastic waste generators,” he said.

The theme of this year’s celebration is “Solutions to Plastic Pollution.”

Plastic is a non-biodegradable substance that is unsuitable as a material for landfills. It does not rust thereby remaining as a pollutant for a very long time.

To ensure seamless implementation of the  policy,  Atebije said his institute  noted that the involvement of the informal sector partnerships would be critical.

According to him, the sector’s capacity must therefore be strengthened to increase plastic recycling, adding that community penetrative campaign to educate and motivate citizens to change their behavior towards plastic waste handling must be embarked upon.

The use of garbage bins/dust bins at public places for disposal of plastic, according to him should be emphasised, while provision should be made for adequate collection and disposal systems.

“Throwing off plastic garbage in open spaces must be prohibited. Reusable shopping bags among consumers and corporate commercial outfits must be promoted.

“Avoidance of single-use plastics at household level must be avoided while plastic wares should be replaced by glass or steel containers,” the NITP president said.

He pointed out the need to transit to circular economy appeared seemingly plausible for plastic waste management. This strategy, he said, hinged on recycling and reuse, which is considered most appropriate for the non-biodegradable nature of plastic.

In all of these, he stated that government’s willingness and ability to enforce the policy has become imperative to achieving the goals of the focused interventions.

“Managing plastic waste properly is essential for building sustainable and livable cities, but it remains a challenge in Nigeria.

Taking action on plastic waste is something that all must be empowered to do – from citizens and governments to businesses and manufacturers.

“While the solutions may vary, increased awareness, and improved design and disposal processes, among others, are also critical to changing behavior and better management of plastic wastes,” Atebije said.

As a matter of urgency, he called the Federal Government to flag-off” upstream policy dialogues that will eventually lead to an implementable plastic waste management policy which will capture applicable and appropriate management strategies.

“There is no doubt that plastic waste generation rates are rising in Nigeria. Though, it provides multiple benefits to modern day living, its polluting effects on the natural environment including the ocean and other water bodies in the country are enormous. It is therefore paramount to manage it.

“However, any sustainable attempt to manage plastic waste must be guided by a well-articulated policy,” he said.

According to reports, plastics are a wide range of natural, synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymer as a main ingredient. Some of the most common polymers that are used every day include polyethylene or nylon threads.

Between 1950 and 2018, plastics of about 6.3 billion tons were produced worldwide.

Only nine per cent and 12 per cent of these were recycled and incinerated while the rest were discarded in landfills and dumps.

Worldwide, approximately 500 billion plastic bags are used annually out of which an estimated 13 million tons ends up in the ocean, killing approximately 100,000 marine lives.

It has been estimated that by 2050, oceans might contain more plastics than fish in terms of weight.

Globally, plastic contributed to greenhouse gases in the equivalent of a release of 850 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere in 2019. These emissions could grow to 1.34 billion tons by 2030. By 2050, plastic could emit 56 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

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