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The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) has tasked Nigerians on collaboration to beat plastic pollution.
The National Executive Council Chairman, NCF, Justice Bukola Adebiyi, made this known at the NCF Annual Green Ball 2025 in Lagos.
Adebiyi described plastic pollution as a serious menace that must be checked.
“Globally, about 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced each year. Daily plastic waste is estimated to be about 1.1 million tonnes per day.
“This is with roughly 50 per cent being mismanaged and about one to two million tonnes entering our oceans yearly.
“Lagos generates about 13,000 tonnes of waste daily, out of which 15 to 20 per cent is plastic.
“We are enjoined to please join hands together to tackle this problem,” she said.
Adebiyi added that advocacy was the first step for people so that they could be educated.
“We need to be educated and then be able to educate others. We need to begin to adopt single-use plastics more and more.
“This will drastically reduce; you’ll be surprised by the amount of plastic bottles you generate just from drinking plastic-bottled water in your homes.
“We need to sort our waste, recycle, and bear in mind that recycling is not a permanent solution because not all plastics are actually recyclable and the cost of recycling is high.
“In our environment, particularly in Lagos, we don’t have enough companies that can recycle or who do recycle, so that is also a problem,” she said.
Adebiyi, who said that recycling was not a solution, added that it could only help if wastes were being sorted.
“Participate in cleanup events wherever we live, on our streets, in our estates, in our communities.
“Be conscious, be aware, try to buy in bulk so we minimise packaging.
“Advocate for legislation. Be mindful of personal care products because when we think of plastics, most of the time we’re looking more at the bottles.
“But what about all those containers when we buy our shampoos and we buy our creams? Be mindful of them because they have excessive plastic packages,” she said.
She advised Nigerians, especially Lagosians to buy things in bulk and decant into reusable containers made of glass.
“At NCF, we are committed to fighting this scourge amongst other environmental threats.
“Pollution management is one of the key pillars of NCF’s strategic plan that we developed for the next five years, 2025 to 2030.
“Please join us to stem this serious threat of plastic pollution which, if left unchecked, is likely to overrun us.
“With all this in mind, let us continue to build on the legacy and principles which NCF represents as laid down by our founding fathers which is encapsulated in our slogan for nature, for people, for Nigeria,” she said.
The Chairperson, Business Development Committee, NCF, Mrs. Dame Fatayi-Williams, while speaking with journalists, said the sooner everyone faced the reality of the day, of climate change and its problems, the better.
She added that the global south had less to contribute to climate change than the global north.
“You see what the Lagos Commissioner for Environment is doing, he is really up to the task, you see the way he is doing it in all those areas, that is clearing the gutters and pathways.
“If he does not talk about this plastic and these non-degradable things that are in the earth, in the drainage, then he’s not fit for purpose, but he’s doing the right thing by creating this awareness and banning it,” she said.
The NCF Director-General, Dr Joseph Onoja, said the annual green ball was used to create awareness and seek support for nature and environmental issues.
Onoja said that NCF could not do it alone, hence, the gathering of all its partners while calling for more people to join to work for nature and the environment.
By Olaitan Idris
