By Kelechi Esogwa-Amadi
As the world commemorates this year’s environment day celebration that has as its theme: Solution to Plastic Pollution, the Nigerian Environment Society (NES), Rivers State chapter, has taken bold steps to ensure that the menace of environmental pollution arising from indiscriminate dumping of plastic materials reduces, at least in Rivers State.
As part of its plastics pollution eradication measures, the body is seeking the collaboration of stakeholders and all Rivers residents to achieve the task.
The chairman of the Rivers State chapter of Nigerian Environmental Society, Daminabo Amos, made the call during the environmental awareness walk organised by the society in Port Harcourt on Saturday to draw attention to the dangers of plastic waste to the environment.
He said: “The plastics move from where they are to the drainage and from the drainage they go to the canals; from the canals to the mini rivers and all of this cause harm to the marine world. It affects the fishes and the other lives. We’re coming out to say this year 2023, let us reduce plastic waste.
“Let us see how we can move the society forward, showing an example to people living around this side by picking all the plastic waste on the streets so that if people can see members of the Society can come out and do this clean-up, everybody can come out and clean their environment.”
The environmental awareness walk, which was used to mark the 2023 world environment celebration, started from GRA Junction, Aba Road, and ended at Abali Park.
It was rounded off with a sensitisation talk at same Abali Park with speakers from the Nigerian Environment Society and their partners for the event such as Total Energies, Nigeria Bottling Company and National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency.
Speaking to journalists at the sidelines of the event, the Environment Manager of Nigerian Bottling Company in Port Harcourt, Obi Akputu, said The plastics thrown away as waste could be recycled into other useful products, thereby generating wealth.
“Out of this waste, there is always a wealth inside. You can still take this plastic and recycle it. Recycling it means you can go and reproduce it into another product,” Akputu said.
The representative of Total Energies, Obiora Okike, also shared similar view, adding that his company has partnered with UNITAR to establish a plastic recycling plant.
“Some of the plastic bags you see used in collecting the waste were by-products from that plant,” he said.
