Don advises FG to enact stringent waste control laws

President of the Science Association of Nigeria (SAN), Prof. Adekunle Amoo, has advised the federal government to enact stringent waste control laws with effective implementation in the country.

The academic who is a professor of analytical and environmental chemistry at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), gave the advice in an interview in Abuja.

He said such steps would help to address the challenge of indiscriminate disposal of waste and its attendant effects on the environment.

The don urged the government to revisit the move to ban the use of plastic bags because of the threat they pose to the environment.

`I am calling on government to revisit the move to ban petroleum-based plastics which include polythene bags and plastic bottles because they are not-biodegradable and therefore, causing problem to our environment.

“The leaching of harmful chemicals into our foods and water, most especially when the food and water are hot makes them unhealthy and dangerous,” Amoo said.

He suggested that alternative technology can be adopted instead of polythene bags.

He said the country can adopt and intensify the technology of producing plant-based biodegradable polythene bags which can be recycled and reused.

The don also advised on ways of generating waste into wealth in the country stressing that waste should be recycled to produce another product that could be re-used.

“Biodegradable wastes can be decomposed using bacteria to produce biogas that can be used at home for cooking. The biogas produced can be converted to light energy that can be used at private and public places.

“Some wastes that are not biodegradable can be pyrolysed to produce energy while some of the biodegradable wastes can be converted to fertilisers for our farmers.

“Plant wastes can be used raw or modified for adsorptions of heavy metals or toxic dyes from industrial effluents,’’ he said.

Amoo also called on governments at all level to find a way of developing local skilled artisans in the area of science and technology, adding that such policy would address the dearth of community-based innovation in the country.

The don also urged the federal government to enforce environmental audit for industries and factories. (NAN)