By Rosemary Ogbonnaya
Nigeria, with a population of over 200 Million people generates about 32 Million tons of solid waste per year, of which 1.15 Million tons are plastic wastes, with little or no segregation is illegally dumped in open spaces including drainages or co disposed off with hazardous wastes such as health care wastes in dumpsites and burnt openly with an estimated 340 thousand tons ending up as marine litter, said Minister of State for the Environment, Chief Sharon Ikeazor.
Ikeazor said this while delivering keynote address at the signing ceremony of the project “Promoting sustainable plastic value chain through circular economy practices” in Abuja, recently.
She said these unwholesome practices have been linked to the perennial flooding across the country, increased respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, increased incidences of cancer, loss of aquatic life, loss in agricultural productivity, and others.
According to her, the large volume of plastic waste being generated in the country presents circular economic business opportunities across the plastic value chain which should be properly harnessed for job/wealth creation, establishment of micro, small and medium scale enterprises, private sector investment including foreign direct investment in addition to preventing/reducing plastic leakages to the environment.
The Minister, therefore, said the Ministry has taken proactive measures to promote, institutionalise and entrench sound circular economy principles and practices in the country.
She listed the measures taken to include: Putting in place National policies on Solid Waste and Plastic waste management; Inclusion of waste sector in the Revised Nationally Determined Contribution, NDC; Membership of African Circular Economy Alliance, Nigeria is a founding member and co-chair of the African Circular Economy Alliance.
Other proactive measures included,
establishment and Implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility,EPR, Programme; Membership of the Global Plastic Action Partnership,GPAP; Nigeria is in the process of domesticating the GPAP into the Nigeria National Plastic Action Partnership,NPAP,
establishment of the Nigeria Circular Economy Working Group and the Nigeria Circular Economy Programme; and several initiatives such as the World Bank Assisted ProBlue Project for Lagos, National Plastic Waste Recycling Programme, Waste to Wealth Entrepreneurship Programme, Community based Solid Waste Management Programme.
The Minister said the objective of the project is to promote the integration of circular economy principles and practices into plastic waste management, strengthen plastic value chains, demonstrate the benefits of adopting circular economy practices and resource efficient production of plastic value chains in Nigeria.
Ikeazor said this project would therefore complement the efforts of Nigerian government in mainstreaming circular economy principles and practices into National Development Plans.
She recalled that the Government of Japan funded a study on available sustainable alternative materials for plastic innovative packaging and recycling technologies that meet market needs in Africa to reduce plastic leakages to the environment, in Nigeria. The study which was conducted in year 2021 was implemented by United Nations Industrial Development Organization,UNIDO, in collaboration with the Ministry.
“It is against this background that we once again welcome this project which is being supported by the Government of Japan and to be implemented by UNIDO in collaboration with the Ministry and other key partners.
“I thank UNIDO and the Government of Japan for their tireless efforts in supporting the country to address its numerous environmental challenges particularly plastic pollution.
“I also wish to appreciate the presence of other key partners. I enjoin you to work as a team to ensure effective implementation of the project.
“Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, it is therefore my pleasure to sign the project document for the implementation of the project; “Promoting Sustainable Plastic Value Chain through Circular Economy Practices in the FCT and Lagos,” said Ikeazor.
