Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), says it plans to establish Plastic Waste Collection Centers aimed at achieving environmental cleanliness in the institution.
Professor Christian Ezeibe, Director Youth Friendly Resource Center UNN, disclosed this while speaking on the recent Green Rising Environment held in the University.
Ezeibe said that achieving environmental cleanliness was one of the critical goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2030.
According to him: “We have planted over 100 trees in the University.
“Now, we are embarking on picking plastic wastes around the campus. The Nigerian youths in the UNN have come out in their large numbers to collect plastic wastes and that is our target for today,” he said.
He added that the collection of plastic wastes becomes very important if “we must achieve not only environmental cleanliness but also to empower students, to help the students in making some money.”
He said: “The UNN is in the process of establishing a plastic bank or call it plastic collection centers. The process has reached advanced stage.
“Students can collect plastic wastes around the campus and then deposit in the plastic bank and get paid for it.
“It is not just enough to collect plastic wastes just to keep the environment clean, keeping the environment clean is good but students should help themselves by making money through plastic waste collection.”
According to him, by the plastic bank or plastic collection centers in the campus students should be able to make money by themselves to solve their pressing needs.
The professor disclosed that UNICEF and other international organisations have already stepped in to sponsor the plastic centers project of the university.
“UNICEF is supporting us in this project. The purpose is to recycle this plastic wastes into something else and as I speak we have many organisations ready to partner with the UNN on plastic recycling Project.
“By this way we would have succeeded in taking a very solid climate action aimed at achieving the goal 13 of the SDGs.
“The goal 13 is very central to achieving the rest of the SDGs. It is important because environment provides the platform for other SDGs to thrive,” Ezeibe said.
He said that a green and clean environment holds the key to good education, good health and the thriving of agriculture.
“A good environment drives away hunger, illiteracy, poverty and so on.
“If the environment is threatened, if the environment is challenged then the rest of the 17 SDGs and their targets cannot be realised,” he said.
