USAID names Nigeria ninth highest contributor to plastic pollution

• Says country accounts for 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste yearly
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has said that Nigeria is the ninth highest contributor to plastic pollution, with about 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually.

Mission Director to Nigeria, USAID, Melissa Jones, said that with over 88 per cent of the plastic not recycled, the resultant effect is excessive plastic pollution, which threatens the ecosystems, marine life, and public health.

She disclosed this at USAID/Coca-Cola Nigeria Plastic Solutions Activity Launch, themed: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – Building a Sustainable Future, in Lagos, in collaboration with United States Consulate and TechnoServe.

She explained that the goal of the activity was to recycle 49,000 metric tons of plastic waste produced in Lagos and Anambra States over the next two years.

Emphasising the need for recycling, Jones explained that plastics recycling would reduce the demand for virgin materials, curbing the energy-intensive process of producing new plastics by up to 90 per cent and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent.

She stated that in addition to improving the environment, plastic collection, sorting, aggregating, processing and manufacturing offers employment opportunities, adding that the plastic solution activity would create 10,000 jobs and generate $4.8 million in income.

Country Director, Nigeria, TechnoServe, Adesuwa Akinboro, said that with an expanding consumer market and limited recycling facilities, the plastic recycling market in Nigeria was poised for significant growth, forecasted to increase by 70 per cent to 3.47 million metric tons (MT) by 2030.

Noting that the initiative is a $4 million project, funded by USAID and the Coca Cola Foundation, she said that TechnoServe, as the lead implementer, would implement its market systems development approach, thereby driving the growth of the private sector, creating jobs and increasing incomes.

She explained that the project would be achieved through strategic partnerships with the public and private sector players and by increasing the private sector’s capacity to sustainably reduce plastic waste, drive the circular economy and to promote a cleaner and healthier Nigeria.

“By collectively working towards the common goal of reducing, reusing and recycling plastic, we can collectively drive the circular economy, reduce plastic waste, and pave the way for a cleaner, greener, healthier and more sustainable future,” she said.

Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Lagos State, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, said Lagos State was committed to assisting the initiative because as a coastal state, it would bear the brunt of the issues.

He noted that the root cause of plastic pollution was irresponsibility of producers and recklessness of consumers.