Worried by the danger posed by plastic pollution across Nigeria, the Association for Environmental Impact Assessment of Nigeria (AEIAN) has listed four conditions to end problems created by plastic pollution in the country.
AEIAN’s President, Prof. Ijeoma Vincent-Akpu, listed the conditions in an interview with NAN on Tuesday in Lagos.
NAN reports that the association spoke against the backdrop of World Environment Day (WED) which the global community marked on June 5.
The theme of the 2023 WED was focused on Solutions to Plastic Pollution.
The professor said that research had shown that humans ingested about five grammes of plastic every week and five pounds of plastic in 10 years.
She noted that plastic pollution had grown tremendously over the years and could be found nearly everywhere.
“The UN says ‘the world is choking on plastic’ and National Geographic says ‘the world is drowning in plastic.
“If no action is taken, plastic production is set to grow to 29 million metric tonnes per year,” she told NAN.
Vincent-Akpu said that AEIAN had outlined the following conditions to put an end to plastic pollution:
“There should be reduction in the growth of virgin plastic production, invest in recyclable plastic rather than single use plastics that are disposed off.
“Government, businesses and individuals should work together to promote circular economy model, through extended producer responsibility and product stewardship, encourage product redesign, reusable alternatives, and eco-friendly packaging practices.
“Policy interventions such as ban on single use plastic, levies, and incentives and improve waste collection infrastructure should be put in place.
“Collective efforts such as collaboration with organisations, neighboring countries, and the private sector, is vital for knowledge exchange, funding and capacity-building initiatives,” Vincent -Akpu said.
