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By Kelechi Esogwa-Amadi
The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Port Harcourt office, has joined other agencies around the world to mark this year’s World Environment Day with the theme: Beat Plastic Pollution Through Reuse.
The event was held at the Port Harcourt office of the agency.
Addressing the guests and participants during the programme, the zonal head of NOSDRA in Port Harcourt, Sir Cyrus Titus Nkangwung, said that this year’s theme was apt, as it focused on the harmful effects of plastic pollution that arises from indiscriminate use and dumping of used plastic materials.
Stressing that plastics are harmful to the eco-system, the NOSDRA zonal head advised that its use should be limited in the homes, adding that reuse and recycling practices should be adopted.
In his lecture, the resource person, Dr Francis Egobueze, revealed that interests in making of plastics arose in the 19th century to replace scarce materials such as ivory and tortoise shell.
He revealed that over 100 million plastic wastes are generated every day, which endangers human, animal and aquatic life, adding that such plastics as polyethylene, high density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, low density polyethylene, among other types, emit harmful substances that are very dangerous to the central nervous system, reproductive health, etc.
Dr Francis noted that despite the benefits of plastic in today’s world, its use should be reduced through recycling and reuse to save humanity and the aquatic worlds, while reminding the participants that the World Economic Forum had already predicted that by 2050, there would be more plastics than fish in the ocean.
There were goodwill messages from the Principles of Life International Institute and some other organizations.
