World Environment Day: Anambra govt commences campaign against plastic waste pollution

Anambra State Government has commenced a campaign against plastic waste pollution across the 21 Local Government Areas of the state.

The State Commissioner for Environment, Engr Felix Odimegwu, disclosed this on Tuesday, in Awka, during a press conference to flag off the 2023 World Environment Day celebration with the theme for this year is ‘Solutions To Plastic Pollution’.

The Commissioner said the campaign was in line with the State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo’s vision of making Anambra a Clean, Green and Sustainable State in Nigeria.

He noted that an estimated 10,000 tons of plastic waste are expected to be recovered from all the communities in the state in a bid to rid the area of plastic waste.

He said the state has also commenced a plastic waste recovery competition for the 179 Communities that constitute the state with prizes of N1 million first position Communities in the rural, urban and semi-urban areas.

According to Odimegwu, “In a bid to actualize the vision of Governor Soludo in maintaining a clean, green and sustainable environment, the Anambra State Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the Anambra State Waste Recycling Association is set to hold the maiden edition of the ‘All Community Plastic Waste Recovery Challenge’.

“This is a holistic approach to the solution to plastic pollution as the state moves with a clear vision towards a circular economy where plastics stay in use for as long as possible. In a circular economy, we try to ensure that most plastics products automatically begin a new life at the end of their original life.

“We hope to rid the state of 10,000 tons of plastics stuck in our streets, homes, drainages and waterways via this project” the Commissioner added.

Also speaking the Spokesman for the Anambra State Waste Recycling Association Mr Akiyemi Olufemi, who is also the Manager of Chicason Recycling Company in Nnewi, said “The problem here is that most of the plastic wastes that we recover and recycle are from outside Anambra state and what we gather is over 300 million plastics.

“We have also carried out sensitization programs in all the twenty-one local government areas of the state and we have been talking with the traditional rulers and president generals of the communities in the state and the response have been commendable,” he said.

 

 

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