NIGERIA – The Federal Ministry of Environment in Nigeria has instituted a ‘Circular Nigeria Committee’ subsequent to an environmental management summit on January 11 and 12, dedicated to phasing out single-use plastics.
This committee is tasked with executing the country’s circular economy roadmap, envisioning Nigeria’s trajectory toward sustainable and inclusive green growth by 2030 (medium-term) and 2050 (long-term).
A pivotal element of the committee’s strategy involves the gradual elimination of single-use plastics, as outlined in a statement from the ministry at the conclusion of the two-day summit.
The Federal Ministry of Environment will spearhead this initiative by discontinuing the use of single-use plastics at its headquarters and affiliated agencies.
The statement affirms, “The retreat also agreed to discontinue the use of single-use plastic within the Federal Ministry of Environment and its Agencies to drive a culture of waste reduction.
“In addition, staff of the Ministry and its agencies were requested to demonstrate leadership by example by implementing other personal climate actions in their environment.”
Nigeria, positioned as the exclusive producer of virgin plastic resin in the coastal regions of West Africa, holds the status of Africa’s largest oil producer, with the oil and gas sector constituting approximately 10% of GDP. The country generated 498 kilo tonnes of virgin plastic resin in 2019 (322 kt PE, 101 kt PP, 75 kt PET).
Despite being a plastic resin producer, Nigeria’s plastic consumption surpasses its production, with almost two-thirds of the demand for virgin resins met through imports, according to World Bank data.
A mere 12% of plastic waste is currently recycled in Nigeria, as reported by the WACA program commissioned by the World Bank.
The country hosts eight operational plastic waste recycling plants, while an additional 18 are in various stages of completion. The residual plastic waste is consigned to landfills and dumpsites.
Notably, water sachets represent a substantial contributor to single-use plastic waste in Nigeria. These sachets, commonly used for distributing pre-filtered or sanitized water due to their cost-effectiveness compared to plastic bottles, contribute to the disposal of over 60 million plastic sachet water bags daily, according to a 2020 research paper.
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