As the world commemorates the 2025 World Environment Day, the Hydrocarbon Remediation Project, HYPREP, has called for citizen-backed action to tackle plastic waste pollution, which has become a bane to the environment.
Speaking during a sensitization tour of secondary school students and fisherfolks at Bomu Waterfront, Gokana Local Government Area in Rivers State, the Project Coordinator, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, explained that plastic waste causes more damage to the human body and the environment. He called for the use of reusable and renewable materials that are eco-friendly.
”Plastic Pollution is a big threat to biodiversity and to humanity, so HYPREP decided to mark today’s event with members of our environment clubs and fisherfolks in Ogoniland. Last year, we cleaned up plastic waste from the Mangroves, and this year, we decided to sensitize fisherfolks on the need to reduce the use of plastics, the need to avoid the use of single-use plastics, and the need to use renewable bottles.”
Professor Zabbey said HYPREP is employing different methods to tackle environmental degradation, which include the provision of portable drinking water, large-scale Mangrove restoration, a ban on single-use plastics in the HYPREP office, and the introduction of a biodegradable bag for the Mangrove Nursery Setup.
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“In this region, Mangrove Nursery Setup depends on the use of single-use plastics we feel that we should not pollute the environment with plastics while we are trying to remediate oil pollution. So our approach must be holistic, and we decided to start an experiment on innovative ways of managing mangrove nurseries to safeguard the environment. We decided to experiment with the use of Gokoon, a biodegradable bag that is inserted into reusable crates.”
The Project Coordinator called for policies that would incentivize the use of biodegradable materials in place of plastics and minimize the usage of single-use plastics for both commercial and non-commercial purposes in the country.
”Many holistic approaches should be adopted in preventing plastic pollution, it starts with the individual because when you use plastic items, the way you dispose of them is also important. It is important that emphasis should be on changing behavior, and policies that would discourage indiscriminate dumping of refuse should be implemented.”
In his remarks at the sensitization tour, the Paramount Ruler of Bomu Community, Chief Benedict Tenalo, called for more town hall meetings to be convened to discuss and sensitize people on the disadvantages of the usage of single-use plastic materials.
The 2025 Environmental Day Sensitisation tour also witnessed the evaluation of some mangrove plants at the Bomu Shoreline by the Hyprep Project Coordinator.
Evacuation of plastic waste from creeks by women and youths, sensitisation of students and fisherfolks on the need to adopt reusable materials and the disadvantages of using single-use plastic materials by Professor Nenibarini Zabbey.
