An adjunct lecturer at the University of Liberia Department of Communication and Media Studies is appealing to the Liberia Environmental Protection Agency and the Legislature to collaborate in developing a policy and legal framework that will make plastic recycling mandatory.
Plastics constitute 14.2 percent of Monrovia’s waste, according to Research Gate, a Germany-based network of scientists and researchers. ”Plastic pollution in Liberia is bad. People throw plastics everywhere. They stay in the environment for 100 years.”
Mr. George Y. Sharpe, who is a former United Nations Mission to Liberia (UNMIL) Radio Producer and Presenter, said that by doing so Liberia will reduce dependence on landfill, conserve resources and protect the environment from plastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Speaking in an interview with journalists, Sharpe said since Liberia as a country can’t avoid using plastic products, the country must introduce a framework that will compel companies and individuals to recycle plastics.
“I believe the Environmental Protection Agency must work with stakeholders and businesses to promote recycling and also collaborate with the National Legislature to enact a policy or legal framework that will ensure compulsory recycling. It will save our environment. With that Liberia will not just save the environment but will also create jobs for Liberians,” he said.
Accordingly, he disclosed that recently, he called the customer service number of a mineral water company in Monrovia and asked if they recycle their plastic bottles. Disappointingly, the customer service representative told him no, they don’t recycle their plastic bottles. The former Liberian broadcast journalist said with that answer, it means that once a person is done drinking from plastic products, they have no option but to dispose of the empty bottle.
“Imagine, I already have over 120 plastic bottles. Improper disposal of plastic wastes is risky for our environment. Used plastic bottles become plastic wastes when they’re not properly disposed of. Plastic wastes take many years to decompose, and they pollute landfills and water bodies. They release harmful toxins into the soil and water, posing threats to marine species, animals, and crops. Plastic wastes also contribute to climate change and they even make farming difficult” Mr. Sharpe said.
Sharpe, who is also the former Media Analyst at the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), said that each year, Liberia receives support from international partners through the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) to address climate change. Therefore, taking these kinds of steps convince international partners and donors that Liberia is intentional about addressing climate change.
According to Tatiana Lebreton from the Ecoexperts in an article title: “plastic bottles waste: how is it damaging the planet” said that Plastic bottle pollution is pretty self-explanatory, as it refers to single-use plastic bottles ending up as waste in landfills, the oceans and on beaches.
These bottles aren’t just an eyesore for us, they can also harm wildlife. Animals often get sick or die from eating or getting stuck in plastic waste. For example, a whale found washed up on a beach in Indonesia had 115 cups, 25 bags, four bottles, and two slippers in its stomach. But the bigger issue is that plastic doesn’t really decompose.
Plastic bottles take around 450 years to ‘decompose’, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). But they don’t get broken down into organic matter – such as carbon dioxide, water, and minerals – that can be reused, the way fruit peels or dead animals do.
Instead, the plastic particles just get smaller and smaller. These small plastic particles are called ‘microplastics’, end up everywhere – from inside marine animals, to soil and water and the food we eat. Recent studies have even found microplastics inside human organs.
What’s worse, the mountain of microplastics is continuing to grow each year. According to research from Kyushu University, there are currently twenty-four trillion pieces of microplastics in the ocean alone, the equivalent of 30 billion half-litre water bottles.
This should be a cause for concern, since microplastics can be dangerous. Studies on fish, for example, found that microplastics can damage their liver and reproductive health. But it’s not just fish. Research has also found that microplastics can be harmful to humans, increasing their risk of cancer and infertility.
Globally, roughly 1 million plastic bottles are purchased every minute, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Roughly 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide are created from the process of manufacturing and filling plastic bottles every year The average Brit could save 94.4 kilograms (kg) of carbon dioxide (CO2) each year by switching to reusable bottles, the equivalent of spending 8,939 hours streaming films and TV shows
For every six bottles of water bought, one is recycled, according to National Geographic In the UK alone, nearly 16 million plastic bottles aren’t being recycled each year About 80% of plastic water bottles end up in landfills worldwide Over 8 million tonnes of plastic bottles end up in the ocean each ye
