World Environment Day: ANSG begins campaign against plastic waste pollution
Anambra State Government has initiated a campaign against plastic waste pollution across the 21 Local Government Areas of the State. The State Commissioner for Environment, Engr Felix Odimegwu, disclosed this on Tuesday, in Awka, during a press
conference to flag off the 2023 World Environment Day celebration.
The Commissioner said the campaign was in line with the State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo’s vision of making Anambra a Clean, Green and Sustainable State in Nigeria. He noted that an estimated 10,000 tons of plastic wastes are expected to be recovered from all the communities in the state in a bid to rid the area of plastic wastes.
He said the state has also commenced a plastic wastes recovery competition for the 179 Communities that constitute the state with prizes of N1 million first position Communities in the rural, urban and semi urban areas.
According to Odimegwu, “In a bid to actualize the vision of governor Soludo in maintaining a clean, green and sustainable Environment, the Anambra state Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the Anambra State Waste Recycling Association is set to hold the maiden edition of the All Community Plastic Waste Recovery Challenge.”
“This is a holistic approach to the solution to plastic pollution as the state moves with a clear vision towards a circular economy where plastics stay in use for as long as possible. In a circular economy we try to ensure that most plastics products automatically begin a new life at the end of their original life.”
“We hope to rid the state of 10,000 tons of plastics stuck in our streets, homes, drainages and water ways via this project,” the Commissioner added.
Also speaking the spokesman for the Anambra State Waste Recycling Association, Mr Akiyemi Olufemi, who is also the Manager Chicason Recycling Company in Nnewi, said “The problem here is that most of the plastic wastes that we recover and recycle are from outside Anambra state and what we gather is over 300 million plastics.”
“We have also carried out sensitization program in all the twenty one local government area of the state and we have been talking with the Traditional Rulers and President Generals of the Communities in the state and the response have been commendable”, he said.
