Janet Samuel. Abuja
A recent projection by the World Bank Group and Black Forest, key advocates for regional action on plastics management and circular economy in West Africa, estimates that the region’s plastic consumption will reach a staggering 12,000 kilo tons within the next two years.
Speaking at the ECOWAS Parliament’s delocalized meeting in Ghana, Darko Akomeah Kwadwo, representative of the group, stressed the need for robust regulations and improved waste management and recycling infrastructure, particularly in vulnerable coastal regions, to address the escalating plastic consumption crisis in West Africa.
The theme of the joint meeting was, ‘Plastic Waste Management: Challenges and Prospects in Implementing Community Policy’, and yesterday’s panel discussion brought together experts in relevant fields to deliberate on the way forward for West Africa.
Worried that West Africa generated 6.9 million tons of plastic waste in 2018 alone, 80 per cent of which was left unmanaged and concentrated along coastal areas, threatening marine and terrestrial ecosystems, the presenter identified Nigeria with its over 200 million populations to have contributed disproportionately to the problem due to its urbanized life style.
“In every West African country, over 80 per cent of plastic waste is not captured by waste management systems.”
“Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana lead in total waste generation across West Africa. Economic growth in Nigeria and Ghana is directly correlated with high plastic waste and imports, highlighting economic influences on plastic consumption
“Despite Nigeria’s production capacity, high imports in countries such as Togo suggests a reliance on imported plastic goods and gaps in local manufacturing”, Kwadwo noted.
According to him, developing existing frameworks in some countries into concrete action has remained the greatest challenge confronting the Sub-region in the collective drive to manage plastic waste.
Overview of different policies and mechanisms introduced by the group include, single-use plastic ban, taxes on import, export and packaging of plastics, deposit and refund systems, subsidies for recycled plastics and extended producer responsibility.
Consequently, he said the group’s support project aimed at helping to establish a comprehensive framework to manage plastic pollution and promote circular economy (CE) in West Africa; address the escalating challenge posed by the use of plastic occasioned by rapid regional development as well as support the development of a regional action plan for plastics.
The group also emerged with interim recommendations such as the need for harmonized and enforced policies, adoption of circular economy models, investing in waste management infrastructure, engaging private sector and fostering innovations, enhance research and capacity building as well as support public education campaigns.
In his presentation titled, ‘Health impact of plastic pollution in West Africa and plastic waste management within the ECOWAS member states, an environmental expert and trainer from Togo, Mr. Nadjo N’Ladon, reiterated the perennial warning that the contact of plastic product with food poses health risks due to the presence of additives in the chemical composition of the plastic product.
“Wastes such as sachets already contained recycled materials and as such, should not be used for packaging food, especially with hot food which melts the platic and mixes it with the food. It can result to food poisoning.
“Furthermore, the practice of incinerating plastic waste at landfills and concessions is a source of toxic emissions, causing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, cancer, reduced intelligence quotient, causes stunted growth and toxicity to reproductive organs”, he said.
The presenter also harped on the implications of plastic waste on the environment, livestock farming, agriculture and water resources and suggested that to arrest the situation, the region should consider implementation of small-scale pilot projects that were not advanced in the management of plastic waste; define and establish financial mechanisms to achieve the objectives; develop environmentally-friendly recycling process for plastic waste as well as implement research programmes on plastics and their management.
And when it was time for contributions from stakeholders, the need for an outright ban on plastic within the region juxtaposed the economic implications, leaving the Members of Parliament with no option than to return with the mindset of a harmonized legislation on the way out of the quagmire.