Worried about the low level of engagement in Africa on the issue of plastics pollution, six civil society organisations have called on governments of the continent to learn from Rwanda which has a successful plastics ban in place.
The groups that made the recommendation at a virtual discussion on Beyond the Plastics Ban are Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), Community Development Advocacy Foundation (CODAF), Environmental Defenders Network (EDEN), Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev Nigeria), Center for Earthworks (CfEW) and the Global Initiative foe Environment and Reconciliation, Rwanda.
In his intervention, Philip Jakpor, Executive Director of RDI said that when plastics was created by Sten Gustaf Thulin in 1959 to replace paper no one envisaged they would become a major challenge to man and the environment.
Jakpor stressed that the current trend of using plastic bags has turned into single-use plastic bags that do not easily decompose and it has become so bad that in some dead fish plastics are found.
He alerted that medical experts also warn about plastics and plastic particles in our food, with grave implications on the health of consumers who may end with cancers and other unknown illnesses.
According to him, globally, the increase in plastic waste is growing very rapidly, jumping from 353 million tons in 2000 to 460 million tons in 2021 and spiking further subsequently based on figures from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Taking a cue from this, Ubrei Joe Mariere, CODAF Director of Campaigns and Administration said that the plastics problem is a significant global environmental issue, with vast implications for ecosystems, human health, and economies.
Maimoni noted that since its mass production began in the 1950s, the world has generated around 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic, much of which have ended in landfills, the environment, or oceans, and that only about 9% of all plastic ever produced has been recycled and around 12% incinerated.
He pointed out that an estimated 8 million tons of plastic waste enter the oceans annually, equivalent to dumping a garbage truck of plastic into the sea every minute even as he added that Nigeria is one of the largest consumers of plastics in Africa, with millions of tons of plastic waste generated annually.
He went on to say that single-use plastics and climate change are interconnected in several significant ways, primarily through the lifecycle of plastics— from production to disposal— which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation.
Speaking on the reasons why plastics are bad for man and the environment, Dr. Leslie Adogame, Executive director of SRADev said that the world is in a plastic regime, stressing that plastic pollution spans the ocean, wildlife, and health, among several others. He also revealed that Nigeria is ranked 9th largest contributor of marine litter in the world among 192 countries.
He called not just for a ban on the use of single-use plastics but urged for controlled production of total plastic materials while urging that companies involved in the production must be held to account.
On the Global Plastics Treaty he said the discussions were going well but have been dogged by interests of countries like China and the United States of America.
“Being the powerful countries of the Global North, they are ready to arm twist other regions, especially Africa, but the African bloc has remained steadfast in the negotiations in ensuring that the talks address the crucial issues that concern the environment and Africa.
Speaking on the solution to plastic use, Chima Williams, the executive director of EDEN, stressed that the solution was a return to nature, maintaining that “nature provides everything a man needs to survive, but our greed and need for sophistication were what had brought us to the level we are”.
Williams said government must hold producers of plastics to account and ensure they are held to account for the many unnoticed deaths occurring as a result of plastic poisoning. He also called on producers to begin to label and tell the byproducts they used in the production of plastic.
Emelyn Ituze of Global Initiative for Environment and Reconciliation Rwanda explained that the successful ban on plastics in her country is as a result of synergy between the government, private sector and an environmentally conscious citizenry.
“Everyone including government, security officials, civil society, and the population in general need to play their part”.
“there is a need for strictness, changing our habits and choosing sustainable alternatives that won’t cost the earth. Together, we can beat plastic pollution and protect our health and the health of generations to come.”