Reps move to ban plastic packaging

The House of Representatives has reinforced its move to prohibit the use, manufacture and importation of all plastic bags used for commercial and household packaging in Nigeria, as it yesterday passed a Bill to that effect for second reading.
Justifying the Bill, its sponsor, Hon.
Sergius Ogun, said if enacted into law, the Bill would go a long way in addressing harmful impacts to oceans, rivers and lakes, as well as relieve pressure on landfalls, waste management, forests, environment, wildlife as well as human beings.
According to him, uncontrolled use of plastic materials (polythene bags) and the arbitrary disposal of same, posed great danger to humanity and even to the environment.
“Over time, these plastic/polythene bags find their way into the marine environment and are ingested by marine animals thereby choking them.
“At least 267 different species of animals have suffered as a result of ingestion of plastic.
In fact, these results caused Australia to ban bags locally in 2003, in an effort to protect the migrating whales in Tasmania.
In Ireland, there is what is known as ‘bag tax’.
This resulted in a 90 percent drop in plastic bag usage and a great reduction in spread,” he said.
On its other objectives, the lawmaker said it would give the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and other relevant environmental protection bodies the statutory foundation to clampdown on those who pollute our environment with the use of plastic bags.
In his contribution, Aminu Shagari said, presently, there were no adequate laws regulating the use, manufacture or importation of plastics, adding that these are the kind of regulations we should make as legislators to protect our environment.
Also, Mohammad Monguno said that plastic materials did not decay but lasted for 100 of years which could affect agriculture and aquatic life.
“When animals consume the plastics and human beings consume the animals it becomes dangerous to the lives of human beings”, he said.
Speaker Yakubu Dogara referred the Bill, after scaling second reading to the House Committee on Environment for further legislative action.