By Anita Ibrahim Wudiri
Trash to cash, a program sponsored by Yola Renewal Foundation ( YRF) in partnership with the Nowegian Agency for the Cooperation and Development (NORAD), has on Wednesday concluded its weekly one hour program at 10am on NAS FM radio Yola, shedding light on government policies and international cooperation on plastic pollution.
The sponsors of the trash to cash program are now working with the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) in order to execute its policies ensuring better environmental hygiene in Adamawa state.
On the final episode of the weekly program trash to cash, the program moderator, Jacob Joseph Kwaya, held a discussion on the government policies and international cooperation on plastic pollution, featuring the chief geologist of the National Environmental Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Adamawa state field office, Mallam Ahmad Jibril Shawane, and a geologist with NESREA, Hajiya Amina Musa.
The National Environmental Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA) is an environmental agency of the federal government of Nigeria, established by law in 2007 to ensure a cleaner and healthier environment for Nigerians. The agency serves as the police of the environment to checkmate environmental flaws.
Mallam Ahmad Jibril Shawane, during the English segment of the program, shared that there are laid down national treaties agreed upon with other international organizations in countries like Switzerland, Vietnam, and Montreal in Canada, concerning the environmental sanitation and the people’s health by extension.
He further explained that the Nigerian government is working with these organizations in a pursuit to build a system of recycling and reusing plastic waste.
He also explained the role of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulation that states that the manufacturers of products are now saddled with the responsibility of the post production process of their products.
Hajiya Amina Musa, during the Hausa session of the programme, revealed some of the effects of plastic pollution to people living in the environment.
She further explained that the smoke that comes from burning plastic waste can cause harm to the human liver, the waste can also affects the ozone layer as it does not decompose, thereby affecting fertile ground and also waste dumped in water can equally affect the aquatic animals.
She concluded by admonishing the listeners to ensure environmental sanitation in their homes, as environmental sanitation is not solely the responsibility of the government but it is a joint effort with the citizens, starting from environmental cleanliness in their homes.
Leave a Comment