Agency Reports

By Sani Idris

The Industrial Pollution Abatement Committee (IPAC), and the Kaduna State Environmental Protection Authority (KEPA), has tasked Kaduna residents on proper plastic waste disposal for financial gains.

At a one-day training workshop for stakeholders on Thursday in Kaduna, the Chairman of IPAC, Mr. Silas Mayekogbon, said proper disposal of plastics, would also reduce environmental pollution which has inflicting hazards to the ecosystem.

The workshop, hash tagged #BeatPlasticPollution, had the theme 'Moderns reusable plastic technologies.

The workshop was part of IPAC and KEPA's line of activities to commemorate the year's world environment day which is celebrated on June 5.

Describing plastic waste as a 'world challenge' Mayekogbon said the workshop with stakeholders who are Captains of Industries, would ensure other possible ways of reducing plastic waste, adding that recycling for monetary gains was one major solution.

He added that they would take massive awareness to the grassroots on effects of plastic pollution to human health and the ecosystem.

He called on the Government to make regulations that would minimise the use of plastic, which he said would enable the control of the available one in the environment.

"As organisations, we will look inward to effective collation of plastic waste for reuse and recycling, to reduce waste in the environment,"he said.

He also urged people to use degradable materials like papers that could decay and add value to the soil, as alternative to plastic.

Also, the General Manager of KEPA, Hajiya Maimuna Zakari, said they monitor the environment in Kaduna to ensure waste are not dump illegally.

She however said that illegal refuse dumping, reoccuring in Kaduna communities, had awaken them on the need for massive sensitisation.

Zakari added that the Authority has disciplinary mechanism like fines and jail terms for erring individuals.

She however disclosed that the mandate of watse evacuation had been shifted to the Kaduna Capital Territory Authority, while restating KEPA's committment to work with them in synergy to achieve an eco-friendly Kaduna state.

Delivering a lecture, Veronica Agana, Product Manager at SOSOCARE Micro Insurance, said that there are alot of initiatives in managing solid waste.

She added that their organisation, a social enterprise low cost insurtech, aimed at using recyclable garbage as a financial resource enabling millions of uninsured slum dwellers mostly pregnant women and kids to access micro health insurance and gain points on food stamps.

"We pay people for their waste and also give them health insurance, with as little as seven or more kilograms of plastic waste, we can access you to pharmacies and hospital for medical care without paying for it, we will take the responsibility in exchange of the waste,"she said.

Agana called on the Government to collaborate with agencies to reduce nonreusable waste in the environment through initiatives like converting it to power instead of incinerating.

"In Nigeria we have shortage of power supply, and we have waste littering large spaces in our communities, it can be put in a initiative of 'waste to power'," she said.

She also urged the Government to put in place system to encourage local initiatives like the use of 'single use' plastics to make bricks, walk ways, and many other innovations.

Agana also urged individuals to minimise the use of 'single use' plastics, where and whenever necessary.

One of the stakeholder, the Managing Director (MD) of Peugeot Automobile Nigeria (PAN) Limited, Miss Taiwo Oluleye, said the workshop was a patriotic call for sober reflection towards global rebirth and conscious change in the way we are gradually destroying our environment.

Oluleye, represented by Mr. Abdulkadir Yinusa, added that the seminar, have the potential to rekindle the consciousness of compatriots to make concerted efforts towards a safer nation.

She noted that it was undeniable that waste pollution, especially plastic waste, is one of the most troublesome and complicated environmental and sustainable development challenges at all levels.

She called on the grassroot communities, businesses and governments all level to play their roles in reducing plastic pollution in the environment.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that other stakeholders in the training workshop included the state and federal ministry of environment, National Environmental Standard and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).

Other were the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), NLC, traditional rulers, among others.(NAN)