Plastic is a valuable material that has transformed lives, but it has also become a major environmental problem. These were the remarks made by Professor Zacharia Yaduma, the director-general/CEO of the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN) at a symposium organised in collaboration with the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and the Forestry Association of Nigeria (FAN), Oyo State chapter, to mark World Environment Day.
This year’s celebration has ‘Solutions to Plastic Pollution’ as the theme.
Yaduma said that “Every year, about 8 million metric tons of plastic waste ends up in our oceans, causing harm to marine life and ecosystems. This pollution also affects human health, as micro plastics have been found in food, water, and even the air we breathe.”
He, however, added that “The good news is that we can all be part of the solution. We can take individual and collective actions to reduce plastic pollution and create a cleaner and healthier environment.
“One of the most effective ways to reduce plastic pollution is to reduce our dependence on single-use plastics. Governments can ban or restrict the use of single-use plastics such as straws, bags, and utensils. Businesses can also take action by using sustainable alternatives such as biodegradable plastics or reusable containers and packaging.
“Individuals can also make a difference by adopting simple habits such as carrying reusable bags, water bottles, and straws. We can also choose to buy products with less packaging or packaging that is recyclable. By reducing our consumption of plastic, we can reduce the amount of plastic waste that ends up in our environment.”
Dr Peter Ogah, an environment and social safeguards expert with NESREA highlighted various problems associated with plastics. According to him, “plastic modernity” means that man’s modern life is surrounded by plastics from toothbrushes, to mobile phones to kitchen utensils. “It is therefore difficult to do away completely with plastics. Plastics have been around for about 75 years!”
He added that “Plastic pollution is a result of more plastics being produced than waste management systems can handle. At best it (plastics) get recycled, at worst it gets dumped in the oceans.”
Dr Aina Kehinde is a researcher at the institute. He presented a lecture at the event titled “Solutions to Plastic Pollution: Recycling.” He noted that aside from the mechanical recycling of plastics into pellets, there is also the option of chemical recycling of plastic waste “to obtain product used as feedstock for production of fuels and polymers.”
He added that “Government should partner with research institutions for more results in plastic waste recycling.”
Also speaking at the event, Jumoke Olowookere, the founder of the Waste Museum in Ibadan, said that “We can’t beat plastic polution without a change in lifestyle.”
She advocated for upcycling, a practice of finding new uses for waste plastics, as a viable means of fighting plastic pollution, adding, “Circular economy is not something we talk about, it is a lifestyle.”
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