Young Nigerians have been advised to practice the “Zero Waste” management strategy as a panacea to climate change, environmental pollution and a clean and healthy environment.
This was stated at the Iyoba Girls College in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State, as Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) in collaboration with the Break Free From Plastic (BFFP) Youth ambassadors, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), Zero Waste Ambassadors and Students Environmental Assembly of Nigeria, University of Benin Chapter.
The group took the message of zero waste and waste segregation to young people.
Speaking to the students, Project Officer Waste Management of ERA/FoEN, Melody Enyinaya stated that poor waste management is not just a challenge to the environment but also a challenge to the climate with the trending heat waves as an example of one of the consequences of improper waste management.
She stated that indiscriminate waste disposal and the menace of single use plastic is a danger to natural habitation, which could lead to flooding and other environmental hazards, adding that single use plastics are made from fossil fuels and contain chemicals that are harmful to the human body.
While encouraging the students to practice segregation and waste recycling for a zero waste economy, she warned against waste incineration as it is an improper method of waste disposal, which can cause several health complications.
The visiting team also donated Waste Baskets for segregation to the schools, to teach the student how to separate waste for recycling.
While receiving the donations from ERA/FoEN, the principal of Iyoba Girls College, Pat Akin-Omorodion commended the group for bringing such knowledge to the students, stressing that teaching proper waste management to the young is a good start to proper environment protection.
She also commended ERA/FoEN and other organizations for making a good example by providing waste baskets for segregation.
