Gabriel Enenche —
The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) yesterday said it has banned the single use of plastic among its staff.
The Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Mrs Belinda Odeneye, decried the increasing rate of single use plastics, pet bottles, polystyrene and other non-biodegradable wastes in different parts of the state.
You may also be interested in:
:Lagos State Assures Investors and Landlords of Protection Against Defaulters
:TUC Lagos Chapter Assures of Completing Housing Projects for Members
:Lagos State Governor Commissions 480-Units Housing Project
Odeneye said this in a statement issued after the official ceremony indicating the banning of single use plastic among staff of LASEPA in Ikeja, the state capital. She added that there was the need for urgent steps to revert the trend, with the encouragement of reusable plastics or biodegradable materials.
Odeneye said that all hands must be on deck to guarantee quality health for the citizenry, while also reducing the rate of some avoidable loss of lives caused by polluted environment.
She appreciated LASEPA for championing the advocacy on reusable plastics and for setting the pace for environmental sustainability for emulation by other Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the state government.
”The Ministry of Environment and Water Resources has a Plastic Waste Management Policy in place, we also have a recycling bank for plastic wastes within the premises, where people can exchange their plastic wastes for money, Odeneye said.
”Also recently, the ministry held sanitation competition, where Surulere emerged the winner and were rewarded accordingly.
”So, we are not just advocating a cleaner environment through our policy on plastic waste management, but we have also put a reward system in place to encourage willful compliance,” Odeneye said.
She urged residents to be mindful of the health implications of their attitudes to the environment, as all unhealthy environmental attitudes had a vicious cycle effect on the lives of every residents.
