Plastic Contaminations: Lagos Partners ‘Save The Children’
Chioma Umeha
Lagos – Did you know that you can recycle every
type of plastic? And at least 20 per cent of what is in our garbage bins right
now should be in our recycle bins, according to experts.
Yet it is important to note that not all items can
be recycled in this way.
The most common recycling mistake is throwing in
soft plastics such as plastic bags, food packaging or any ‘scrunchable’ plastic
in with the rest of your plastic containers.
This is just as researchers have raised alarm over
the growing rate of plastic pollution because of its effects on humans and
aquatic life humans and aquatic life.
Just recently, the World Economic Forum, in its
review, puts pl astic wastes ending up in the ocean at 80 per cent.
The World Economic Forum’s review further reported
the possibility of the ocean containing more plastics than fish by 2050, if
problems associated with plastic pollutants are not adequately addressed.
It was not surprising that the Lagos State
government has raised alarm over what it described as threat of plastic
contamination to a healthy environment.
The government also reiterated its appeal to
residents to support its efforts to control plastic pollution in the state.
Mr. Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, State Commissioner
for Environment, made the appeal in Lagos, during an event to mark the World
Environment Day which was organised
by the Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with Save The Children
International who sponsored the event.
Durosinmi-Etti, who was represented by Mr.
Babatunde Hunpe, the Special Adviser to Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode on Environment,
stressed that plastic pollution
creates serious environmental and health hazards by threatening the marine
life.
“As stakeholders, we all have a role to play in
attaining a cleaner and healthier environment. We need to encourage bagging of
wastes to prevent indiscriminate dumping and cooperate with the government in
its efforts to make Lagos a cleaner state,” Durosinmi-Etti said.
He urged the residents to exhibit their actions in
line with the 2018 WED theme: “Beat Plastic Pollution” aimed at reducing,
reusing and recycling.
The commissioner said that the global event
underscores the need in Lagos State to rededicate national efforts for
sustainable development by putting environmental concerns at the centre of all
developmental plans.
According to him, this year’s WED is a day set
aside to address numerous environmental concerns and problems that threaten not
just the human race, but planet as a whole.
Corroborating the World Economic Forum report,
Durosinmi-Etti alerted that the ocean may contain more plastics than fish by
2050 unless problems associated with plastic pollutants are adequately
addressed.
He said, “It is already a well-known fact that
marine life is threatened by plastic pollution. Aquatic animals are hurt when
they get trapped in the web of plastic wastes or feed on these wastes, which
often lead to their death.
“Furthermore, degraded bio-products have also been
proven to have negative effects on the reproductive capabilities of fishes.
“For the avoidance of doubts, established plastic
pollution facts stated that the world uses 500 billion plastic bags in a year,”
he said.
According to him, facts have it that eight million
tonnes of plastics end up in the oceans. He said people had not reused or
recycled plastics appropriately and that they bought more plastics than they
needed.
The commissioner said there was need to find
alternatives to eradicate the menace caused by these products to help sustain
and save our environment.
“We have only this planet to call our home, let us
make it livable for all and for future generations. The responsibility to save
and sustain our environment begins with us as individuals, communities,
governments and industries,” he said.
Ms. Nwamaka Ifionu, Acting Area Operations
Manager, Lagos and Calabar Save The Children, explained that the event was to
create awareness about environmental sanitation.
She urged the people to take steps to effectively
check plastic pollution.
She said: “This is a call to each and every one of
us in our respective homes and individual live to reduce plastic pollution.
This would ensure that our homes are cleaner and healthy.”
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