By Olalekan Ola
Dr Adedapo Adediji, a Research Officer at Pan African University Life and Earth Sciences Institute (PAULESI), University of Ibadan, has called on government and stakeholders to ensure that they prioritise environmental safety for Nigerians.
Adediji made the call during the Circular Plastic Economy Innovation Hub Stakeholders Engagement Workshop at Biological Sciences Lecture Theatre C(BOOC), Faculty of Science, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), on Tuesday, in Ile-Ife.
He said that plastic has become problem in the environment for the way people disposes their water bottle, sachets and food plastic among others illegally.
"If we leave them in the environment, it messing up the environment, very harmful and would not make ecosystem to be sustainable.
"In the next 50 years, there'll be more floating plastic in the ocean than fishes which would terminate the water body and very dangerous to environment". He explained.
According to him, burning of plastic caused air pollution and it hazardous to humans health because of the chemical component.
The Research Officer suggested that it better to turn the plastic to useful materials like: key holders, prototyping in hospital and engineering workshop and for other usefulness.
"Government alone cannot do it, that's why we are sensitising stakeholders like government representatives, academia, students, people in the industry that produce plastics.and the likes.
"To stop scattering plastic anyhow, stakeholders needs to be engaged by find meaningful way of gathering them together and drop them at the collation centre". Adediji analysed.
The Researcher Officer stated further that students needs to be catch young on plastic disposable, for them to have more knowledge on plastic management and disposable.
This would assist students to shed more light to their mates and their parents on their attitude towards how to dispose used plastic in order not to litter the environment.
Also, Dr Olukunle Babaremi, a Research Scholar at PAULESI, said this is second year on the project and the team had gone far by partnering with many Universities with positive result.
Babaremi states that by 2030, if care is not taken, we'll have more plastic in the ocean than aquatic life.
"We give proper awareness to students on campus that this is a general problem that would affect everybody and would affect them too.
"We talk to them on culture of plastic that they should not throw it away anyhow,bcos everything ends up in the drainage.
"To get innovation from people on how to reduce or recycle plastics, it is best to reduce the number across the country". He stated.
According to him, plastics in hundred years would not change it forms, but it's better we change to Three-D-printing like.
The scholar explained that instead of producing more plastic, the grinded ones can be reproduced to different made, like: parker, ulti-culture to plant flowers and plastic filled with sand for construction and filling concrete.
He called for plastic reproduction for bottling company such as Coca-cola that makes their money from plastics.
Babaremi enjoined the masses to support by disposing waste separately so as to be easier for scavanger to separate at collection point and for them not to be affected by the chemical on plastic.
He appealed to NGOs that got money from international bodies, plastic company, private sector businesses to be paying certain amount of money to women supplying them with plastics to encourage them as incentives.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Prof. Simeon Bamire, welcome all and sundry, said the programme came rightly when the whole world is working towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs).
Bamire explained that good health, clean water and sanitation, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, life below water, and life on land could not be fully achieved without controlling plastic wastes in our environment.
He expressed that plastic are dumped into rivers, oceans and lakes on daily basis. Those that are dumped on land often find their ways into the water bodies.
"The presence of plastic wastes in aquatic environment distorts sustainability of aquatic lives. Plastic pollution can lead to consumption of microplastics, which poses imminent risks to human health.
"The devastating effects of plastic wastes on our environment cannot be overemphasized. Therefore, I am happy that our University is on this circular plastic economy project, which can be counted as part of our contributions towards achieving the UN-SDGs". Bamire stated.
The VC emphasised that OAU community has generates tons of plastic waste daily and encouraged colleagues in Faculty of Science and Faculty of Technology to synthesize with innovative ideas that would turn this to a good source of revenue and promote a cleaner Community.
In the same vein, Prof. Saheed Adekunle, a Lecturer at Department of Chemistry, (OAU), commended all the stakeholders and project partners involved on the CPEIH scheme for their efforts in ensuring that our environment is safe and healthy for all.
Adekunle said that the innovative idea of converting waste and used plastics to yet another useful materials does not only reduce pollution but also promotes waste to wealth initiative