Beating plastic waste in Africa

Today, Nigeria joins the rest of the global community to mark this year’s World Environment Day (WED).

It is the duty of each one of us, to ensure that the quest for material prosperity does not compromise our environment, he added.

In a message, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres urged all people to reject single-use plastic items, and warned that growing levels of plastic waste were becoming unmanageable, saying “every year, more than eight million tons end up in the oceans”. “I would like to announce that MoD is committed in implementing the initiative to make it the first plastic bottle free ministry”, said Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Suhaimi.

The theme for the June 5 annual observance is an invitation to make changes in everyday life to reduce the heavy burden of plastic pollution on our natural places, our wildlife – and our own health.

Scotland has committed to phase out the use of non-recyclable plastics and is now designing a deposit return scheme for drinks packaging that could see recycling rates of more than 90 per cent. “We are already the fifth largest producer of solar energy and the sixth largest producer of renewable energy”, he said.

“Our motto is more crop, per drop”, he added. Government has also been able to reduce the time needed to build a house from 18 months to 12 months, thereby saving about 6 months. Plastic bags are also often burned, releasing toxic fumes into the atmosphere. “This is enabling faster construction of affordable houses for the poor in towns and villages”, the prime minister said. He said, India is reducing its dependence on fossil fuels and it is switching sources of fuel where possible. India has made a phenomenal commitment and displayed clear, decisive and global environmental leadership. We have launched the Namami Gange initiative.

Modi has also spoken out about the dangers of climate change and the need for measures to combat global warming.

“We make a solemn pledge that by 2022 we will eliminate all single-use plastics from our attractive country”.

“Plastic pollution is a huge issue everywhere”, the UN’s environment chief Erik Solheim told The Associated Press.

This year the theme is beating plastic pollution, a problem at the centre of David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II. Five industry leaders also took environment protection pledges at the plenary session. Some 800 participants attended the event in Bangkok, which was organised by the Department of Environmental Quality.

An exhibition titled Sambandh was organized in the back lawns of Vigyan Bhawan, showcasing the intrinsic relationship between people and environment with tremendous footfall in last three days.

While arguing that there were no guarantees that the present generation could hand over a liveable place to the next generations, Osinbajo described plastic pollution as an environmental epidemic created daily by consumption habits that favour the one-off use of plastics, plastic bags, plastic bottles, disposable cups, sweet wrappers, and toys.