World Environmental Day: Championing Solutions to Plastic Pollution in Nigeria

In commemoration of the 2023 ‘World Environmental Day’ themed, ‘Solutions to Plastic Pollution’ usually celebrated annually on June 5, Sunday Ehigiator writes that the new administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the private sector stakeholders must come together to champion solutions to plastic pollution in Nigeria

Take a walk or drive through the streets of most parts of Nigerian cities, and you will be welcomed by the sore sight of plastic waste littering everywhere.

This is not only peculiar to Nigeria. The world is being inundated by plastic. According to a report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), more than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year, half of which is designed to be used only once.

Of that, less than 10 per cent is recycled. An estimated 19-23 million tonnes end up in lakes, rivers and seas. Today, plastic clogs our landfills leaches into the ocean and is combusted into toxic smoke, making it one of the gravest threats to the planet.

Not only that but what is less known is that microplastics find their way into the food we eat, the water we drink and even the air we breathe. Many plastic products contain hazardous additives, which may pose a threat to our health.

The good news is that the world is today awakened to this sad reality and its consequence on human health. Hence there is a surge of public and political pressure to scale up and speed actions from governments, companies and other stakeholders to solve this crisis.

This underscores the importance of this World Environment Day mobilizing action from every corner of the world.

About 2023 World Environmental Day

The 2023 World Environment Day will showcase how countries, businesses and individuals are learning to use the material more sustainably; offering hope that one day, plastic pollution will be history.

The World Environment Day is the biggest international day for the environment. It is led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and held annually since 1973.

Over the years, it has grown to be the largest global platform for environmental outreach, and it is celebrated by millions of people across the world.

This year’s World Environment Day is hosted by Côte d’Ivoire and supported by the Netherlands.

The theme, ‘Solutions to Plastic Pollution’ is focused on solutions to plastic pollution under the campaign #BeatPlasticPollution. It is a reminder that people’s actions on plastic pollution matter.

It’s also a clamour for the government of every country to take every necessary step at their disposal to tackle plastic pollution, understand the need to make it their top business and also understands the consequences of not taking adequate action to tackle the menace.

The SDGs connection

Solving plastic pollution is connected to achieving at least seven of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

SDG 3 for instance speaks about ‘Good Health And Well-Being’. Plastics are a combination of polymers and additives. Additives are chemical substances that are added to plastic to give it the properties desired for commercial or industrial use and include materials such as plasticizers and flame retardants.

Some of these substances disturb the hormone balance in animals and humans. Another area of concern is the effect of nanoplastics. These particles are so small that they can easily penetrate the body: for example, depending on the size they may penetrate organ tissue (whether in the brain or the gut) and cells.

The poisonous particles can cause local inflammation and all kinds of physiological effects, some of which are yet to be researched thoroughly.

SDG 6 speaks about ‘Clean Water and Sanitation’. The sixth sustainability goal determines that the quality of freshwater must be improved. The pollution of inland bodies of water must be reduced and much more water needs to be purified to increase the amount available for safe consumption.

SDG 11 speaks on ‘Sustainable Cities and Communities’. The effective collection and processing of waste, although seen as a basic and indispensable service, is missing in many cities and other residential communities. This causes many problems, especially in areas with dense populations.

SDG 12 speaks about ‘Responsible Consumption and Production’. The Mass production and consumption of plastic, especially single-use packaging plastic are major contributors to plastic pollution in the sea and on land.

Pollution has a negative influence on the functioning of ecosystems and endangers animal lives as well as the food supply of large groups of people.

Burning all the plastic as a form of waste management contributes to toxic air pollution.

The best way to promote SDG 12 is through an absolute reduction in plastics. The stimulation and improved effectiveness of recycling are not sufficient and do not present a realistic solution to the plastic soup at this point.

SDG 13 speaks about ‘Climate Action’. Almost all plastic is made from fossil fuels, especially oil and shale gas. The production of plastic uses a lot of energy, and altogether, this accounts for approximately 10 per cent of the global annual usage of fossil fuels: half for the production of plastic, the other half for fuel.

That figure is projected to rise to 20 per cent by 2050 if we continue with the unlimited use of plastic. The reduction of CO2 emissions which would prevent an average temperature increase of two degrees is an extremely urgent environmental goal.

The production and use of plastic have a smaller carbon footprint than alternatives such as paper and metal. But a choice for plastic driven by that consideration does not take the end-of-life damage that plastic causes to the environment into account.

SDG 14 addresses the ‘Protection of Seas and Oceans’. The 14th SDG is aimed at avoiding and strongly reducing the pollution in the sea, especially from waste that originates on land.

Given the rough estimate that 80 per cent of marine waste comes directly from the land and the fact that we are dealing with billions of kilos of waste per year, it is obviously of great importance to achieve a reduction in the amount of plastic that ends up in the sea.

Huge benefits can be reaped if effective waste collection systems are put in place everywhere while, at the same time, the use of plastics is reduced. Cleaning up plastic from beaches and capturing the plastic at sea is important, but overall these efforts are of little help if the flow of plastic is not reduced at the same time.

SDG 15 addresses the ‘Repair Ecosystems and Retain Biodiversity’. Ecosystems in the sea and on land are threatened by (micro) plastics and chemical additives used.

Plastic can suffocate, lead to animals not being able to consume enough food, make animals easier prey for other animals, make coral reefs sick, and much more.

Significant reduction in plastics and microplastics will quickly lead to the recovery of ecosystems and biodiversity.

Types of plastic waste

Plastic waste comes in sizes ranging from macroplastic (pieces larger than 25 millimetres in diameter) to nanoplastic (less than 1,000 nanometers).

It takes various forms, such as polyethylene terephthalate (used for food packaging, beverages, and personal care products), polyvinyl chloride (used in plumbing pipes, flooring, and clothing) and polystyrene (used for food packaging, laboratory materials, toys and computer housing).

According to UNEP categorization, they include Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), i.e. Water bottles, dispensing containers, and biscuit trays. High-density polyethylene (HDPE), i.e. Shampoo bottles, milk bottles, freezer bags, and ice cream containers.

Low-density Polyethylene (LDPE), i.e. bags, trays, containers, and food packaging film. Polypropylene (PP), i.e. potato chip bags, microwave dishes, ice cream tubs, bottle caps, and single-use face masks. Polystyrene (PS), i.e. cutlery, plates, cups, and Expanded polystyrene (EPS), i.e. protective packaging, and hot drink cups.

Plastic pollution in Nigeria

Like many countries, Nigeria isn’t left out on the plague of plastic pollution. The country’s rivers, lakes and oceans are filled with discarded plastic. Nigeria is estimated to generate about 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually. Plastic accounts for 15 per cent of the total waste generated in Lagos State.

Lagos alone generates 9000 metric tons of waste daily; 86% of the waste generated consists of plastic bottles and bags according to The Lagos State Waste Management Authority.

The situation is likely to worsen as Nigeria’s population grows, from more than 220 million people now to an expected 401 million by the end of 2050.

The production of plastic is growing too. Dangote Refinery, the largest petrochemical refinery in Africa, is starting operations in Nigeria in the first quarter of 2023. Aside from refining fuel, the plant will also produce plastic products.

With about 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, Nigeria ranks ninth globally among countries with the highest contributions to plastic pollution. Unfortunately, over 88 per cent of the plastic waste generated in Nigeria is not recycled. Instead, much of it ends up in water bodies, i.e. rivers, lakes, drains, lagoons and the ocean.

The real problem with plastic is that it does not break down naturally. The very properties that led to the rise in the adoption of plastics (durability, low density and non-degradability) are precisely why they are today an environmental nightmare.

Who should clean up?

The question arises as to who is responsible for cleaning up the plastic waste in the Nigerian environment.

Some argue that the onus is on the government to make and enforce policies and regulations. Others argue that residents ought to take responsibility in the spirit of environmental citizenship.

But what about the manufacturers, who, too often, take no responsibility when the plastic they produce ends up as waste in the environment?

Companies can reduce plastic waste in Nigeria if they accept all the elements of corporate social responsibility. Doing so also promotes sustainable development.

The UN defines this as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” So corporate social responsibility benefits the companies too.

Dimensions of corporate social responsibility

Corporate social responsibility is the idea that a company should play a positive role in the community and consider the environmental and social impacts of business decisions.

Since the mid-1950s, most of the world’s leading business organisations have come to agree that companies have economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic or discretionary responsibilities.

Economic responsibility is a commitment to making profits, operating efficiently and being competitive. Focusing on this alone can lead to environmental problems unless it considers the long term. One way for economic responsibility and environmental sustainability to meet is by assigning an economic value to waste.

Legal responsibility means that a company must comply with government laws and regulations. These should include rules that protect the environment.

Ethical responsibility means being fair, by societal expectations. For example, it means a company doing its fair share to prevent and clean up waste.

Philanthropic responsibility is something extra a company can do to make the world a better place. Many companies get involved in volunteering, empowerment and support of innovative programmes to help people. An example would be coordinating voluntary community action to clean up waste.

Long term solutions

In Nigeria, most companies focus on the philanthropic dimension of corporate social responsibility. For example, they organise voluntary cleanup campaigns in communities and advocate for the proper disposal of waste. But this is a temporary solution, as huge amounts of plastic waste continue to be deposited in the environment.

Companies also tend to practice ‘Green-washing’, claiming that their products are environmentally friendly or have environmental benefits.

These responses ignore the economic, ethical and legal dimensions of corporate social responsibility for the environment.

I suggest that if all dimensions are practised properly, the activities of the Nigerian plastics industry won’t be a threat. Instead, they will conform to some of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals: “combating climate change; protecting marine animals; sustainable environment; and partnerships.”

Plastic value chain

Policymakers, producers, manufacturers, multinational companies and other stakeholders must also work together to combat plastic pollution in Nigeria.

This begins with assigning a monetary value to plastic at each stage of its life cycle, including sorting, collection, and recycling. Disposal practices, monitoring and enforcement, as well as cost management, should not be left out.

Producers, manufacturers and multinational companies should also reduce plastic waste as part of their production processes. The regulators should hold them accountable to eliminate plastic waste in the environment. This policy is known as “Extended Producer Responsibility”.

The concept has already been implemented in some developed countries, including Germany. It has brought improvements in the reuse and recycling economy.

Nigeria adopted the extended producer responsibility policy through its National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency in 2014. But it has not yet been fully implemented in all Nigerian states. Hence, reflecting the current state of plastic waste pollution.

If companies in Nigeria’s plastic and packaging industry can work together to achieve a high standard of environmental sustainability, we can rightly say they are practising corporate social responsibility.

Government’s responsibility

The Minister of Environment, Barr. Mohammed Abdullahi while speaking in Abuja at the inaugural meeting of the project steering committee for the plastic circular economy project, lamented that “only 45 per cent of waste in Nigeria are collected, 80 per cent of plastic waste goes to dump site while only 10 per cent is recycled.”

The statistics are worrying. Suffice it to say that Nigeria has no efficient waste management system in place. Plastics are a menace. Hence, beyond the regulatory function of the government, with the antecedents of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Lagos state, as Governor, this present administration must strengthen the efficiency of the waste management system in Nigeria.

Secondly, the government can work with bottlers and NGOs to establish policies and regulations that promote sustainable packaging practices and support research and innovation in alternative packaging materials and recycling technologies.