By NAN
A coalition of Civil Society Organisation (CSOs) under the auspices of Community Action Against Plastic Waste and Young Female Journalists Network has expressed its support for the proposed ban on single-use plastics in Nigeria.
The coalition expressed its support in Abuja on Thursday at a public hearing organised by the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on Preparedness for the Single-Use Plastic Ban in Nigeria, even as manufacturers seek gradual phase-out over a period of 14 years.
Speaking on behalf of the coalition, Ms Errit Effanga urged the Federal Government to ensure adequate preparedness and align national policies with emerging global standards to tackle plastic pollution.
Effanga said that plastic production had increased by more than 200-fold since 1950, with over 11 million tonnes entering aquatic ecosystems annually.
According to her, only nine per cent of plastics are recycled globally and the rest are landfilled, burned or leaked into the environment.
Effanga described plastics as chemical products rather than inert materials, saying that over 16,000 chemicalswere associated with plastics, with at least 4,200 identified as hazardous.
She explained that plastics contain thousands of chemical additives, including phthalates, bisphenols and flame retardants, with many linked to endocrine disruption, cancer, reproductive harm and neuro-developmental effects.
According to her, in response, over 130 countries have adopted bans or restrictions on single-use plastic, including plastic bags, cutlery, straws, polystyrene foodware and microbeads.
She said that available evidence showed that well-designed bans reduce plastic pollution by 30–80 per cent within a few years.
Effanga said that Africa has emerged as a global leader in single-use plastics regulation, demonstrating that bans could coexist with economic development, innovation and job creation.
“With the ongoing global negotiations toward a legally-binding treaty to end plastic pollution under the United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC), the world is moving decisively to confront the plastic pollution crisis across its full lifecycle.
“Nigeria must not be a passive observer in this defining global moment. We must lead proactively, aligning national policy with emerging global standards and positioning our economy to benefit from the transition toward a safer, toxic-free circular plastics economy.
“Community Action Against Plastic Waste and Young Journalists Network strongly supports the proposed single-use plastic ban,” she said.
Effanga, however, said preparedness was critical, stressing that the ban must be implemented within a coherent national framework that prioritised public health protection, environmental justice, climate resilience and inclusive green economic growth.
According to her, plastic pollution is a vast and multi-dimensional challenge in Nigeria, as it is not merely a waste management challenge.
She said that the position of the coalition was anchored on public health crisis, driven by toxic chemical exposure and open burning as well as human rights issue, disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities.
However, manufacturers, table water producers and other businesses big in the use of single-use plastics called for a gradual phase-out so as not to affect the economy negatively.
Ms Agharese Onaghise, the Executive Director of Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance, a coalition of 49 companies, said that the coalition was aware of the dangers of plastics used for packing, when not well managed.
She said that the coalition had made an investment of over N1.3 billion in collection infrastructure to mop up plastics from the ecosystem.
According to her, over three trillion naira had been invested in recycling facilities, adding that they have adopted about 50 per cent content for manufacturing use.
“Alternative exists but they will not be able to scale and cater for industrial needs; some may not be available or affordable and some may not be applicable for food contact.
“There are other alternatives like glass, paper, aluminum but they have challenges with more energy cost, transportation, use of more water and tree that will be cut off,” she said.
Onaghise said that for water satchet, popularly known as “pure water”, there is no applicable alternative for single-use plastic.
The executive director said that a ban of single-use plastic would result in loss of livelihood, unemployment and return on investment, among others.
She, however, said that long-term efforts were ongoing to transit to biodegradable alternatives but that it would require government investment and a period of 14 years before the country could be fully ready for the ban.
Earlier, Chairman of the committee, Rep. Terseer Ugbor (APC-Benue), said that the hearing was to collate stakeholders’ inputs for a proper legislation that would address the menace of single-use plastic in the ecosystem.
Ugbor said that the committee was determined to produce a robust, actionable report for the National Assembly.
The lawmaker said that the mandate was specific and urgent, as the National Assembly recognised the dual reality and undeniable environmental and public health crisis caused by plastic pollution and the significant socio-economic implications of abruptly phasing out materials deeply embedded in daily commerce and consumption patterns.
“We aim to bridge the gap between environmental necessity and economic feasibility.
“We are not here to debate if a transition away from problematic plastics should happen, but how it should happen in an orderly, efficient and equitable manner.
“This public hearing is the foundation for evidence-based policy making; we seek a uniquely Nigerian solution – one that leverages our ingenuity to move us from a linear take-make-dispose economy to a circular one that fosters green jobs and protects our natural heritage,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)