A Plastic Script
A Plastic Script….
I have worked pretty hard to avoid plastic waste in my daily routines, I switched to reusable bags, always bring my own water bottle, use a tote bag for shopping and refuse a plastic bag if my grocery is only one item, or if it can fit in my hand. However, I have a few neighbors that find a way to sneak their used plastic bags into my trash-can to spite me a little.
To digress a little, I have volunteered at a couple of climate marches… either as a greeter, crusader or campaigner. These walks typically explore creating awareness, initiating local communities and agencies to do the right thing for climate and planet. Jos City Trek was one of those, with a distinct goal to sensitize the public on the dangers of single-use plastics; the intent was straightforward, the path, distance and timetable were clear.
As young energetic individuals set out at dawn for a climate trek, the goal of the trek was reiterated….. Pick up single-use plastic (specifically, bottles) along the set path, toss in the black garbage bags provided, empty to the dump truck… repeat!
There! I found my first bottle, eager to make a win… it was indeed lying in a pool of diarrhea, I wondered if the energy-bottle-drink-handler was the same one that had to go so badly over his own bottle. I contemplated picking it… Don’t Ask if I did! But I definitely haven’t gotten over the sight.
In less than a mile of walking, there again!…a huge distraction waiting right under the pedestrian landmark bridge… a large garbage container, full of garbage that may have been there for several months and now spilling over into the road. Everything was right at this spot, clothing, food waste, faeces, plastic bottles, plastic bags, TRASHHHHH. There was a bit of chatter over what would be done to the menace and if it in fact concerned the agenda of the day; that was the moment the trek glided out of script and reinvented its pursuit. Volunteers including the city’s Commissioner of Environment, Climate Change and Mineral Development, the PEPSA and NESREA teams swung into action, afterall there was a dump truck trailing the walk….. why waste its carbon?!
You see, in Nigeria, it is almost impossible to stick to the script on any day or on any movement and purpose. There are so many prevailing issues, layers upon layers, from lack of basic amenities, to personal behavioral issues, inadequate laws, poverty, name it. This is Nigeria.
So, the bad news may be that in the midst of all these issues, plastic continues to be a threat; whether you live in a big city, a plateau, a coastal town, an island or a village, plastic threatens the climate and climate change threatens everyone’s health and wellbeing as it dramatically disrupts our water, air, food, infrastructure.
But the good news is that there are many people just like the ones on the Jos City Trek list that are more than happy to make a difference. As a matter of fact, while a couple of people had their views that the commissioner who is only about 2 months into his job will eventually get tired and burned out for the layers of drawbacks of the country… I believe that his action of leading by example has demonstrated how to do things correctly and sets the tone for others.
The issues around single-use-plastic are widespread because, people will continue to make use of single-use-plastic as long as they are being produced without regulation, people are not well informed on its ills, people are not sure how and where to dispose of single-use-plastic, very few citizens are willing to pay for the disposal of the waste that they produce, the city hasn’t provided sufficient waste disposal options for citizens, single-use-plastic seems to be the cheaper and convenient option for citizens.
What would be great to see the city do is, to identify pollution hotspots and lead focused campaigns, provide its own single-use-plastic drop-off points all around the city, use the bodies of its public transport automobiles (kekes, taxis, buses) to run ads and campaigns, and provide hotlines that citizens can call up for complains, questions, whistle-blowing or even to drop a few verbal thumps-up when someone feels excited and impressed by the government.
Our ability to make good decisions is reduced by not having options, therefore, if you want to enforce a law, give people alternatives for compliance. On the other hand, continuous ads and awareness can target a wide range of audience through the frequent interaction.
Hence, where we have a group of people just like my spiteful neighbors, everyone can be brought onboard.
Rhoda, The Carpenter’s Daughter
For CLIMATE THURSDAY..
