Minister: How youths can develop innovative solutions to tackle plastic pollution

Sharon Ikeazor, minister of state for environment, says she believes youths can make significant contributions towards tackling plastic pollution in Nigeria.

She stated this on Friday at a virtual meeting tagged, ‘Youth Response to Pollution’, as part of events commemorating the 2021 World Environment Day.

According to the minister, the federal government is committed to ensuring adequate implementation of environmental programmes and projects that will encourage modern waste management practices through the development of a national policy on solid waste management.

“The stakeholders, such as private, government, NGOs, and citizenry, for sustainable waste management, will create an enabling environment for youths on waste reduction, sorting at source, reuse, recycling and conversion to energy through incentives,” she said.

“It will also provide the necessary guidance regarding effective waste management options, technologies and best global environmental practices, as well as the formulation of a national policy on plastic waste management, which addresses the issue of plastic life cycle management and implementation of the extended producer responsibility (EPR) programme.

“Adequate implementation of the programmes will assist the industry to shift from linear to closed-cycle manufacturing and efficient take-back schemes for remanufacturing and recycling.

“There is no doubt in my mind that if we all work together as youths, with everyone contributing his or her quota, we will achieve sound management of plastic wastes and our dreams of a plastic pollution-free environment sooner than expected.

“I believe that young people can help us turn the tide on plastic pollution. Our wastepreneurs are developing smart and innovative solutions to tackle plastic waste pollution.”