Sterling Bank Leads Charge Against Plastic Pollution

Sterling Bank, in collaboration with other stakeholders, has mobilised volunteers to clean and restore Elegushi Beach in Lagos to its pristine state to commemorate World Environment Day.

The annual event, led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and observed globally every June 5th, creates awareness, and evokes action to protect the environment. The 2023 World Environment Day theme is ‘Solutions to Plastic Pollution’ with the hashtag #BeatPlasticPollution.

Speaking at the beach cleaning exercise held in Lagos, the chief executive officer of Sterling Bank, Abubakar Suleiman, said: “plastic pollution severely threatens our environment, ecosystems, and the well-being of present and future generations.”

He stated that, it is up to individuals to make bold, decisive decisions and work towards a sustainable future, emphasising that Nigeria must prioritise awareness to ensure every community understands the impact of plastic waste and empowered to make sustainable choices.

Suleiman urged Nigerians to commit to reducing, reusing, and recycling plastic materials, noting that over the past 14 years, Sterling Bank has partnered with the Lagos State government to clean up the environment.

Chief executive officer of Sterling One Foundation, Olapeju Ibekwe added, “We are commemorating both World Environment Day and World Oceans Day as we have realised that plastic has become a menace to our environment, health, and the sustainability of the earth.”

According to her, “the foundation conducts beach adoptions to sensitise the community and raise awareness of the need to be intentional about ensuring that plastic is not viewed as waste, but as a resource that can be recycled and used to create jobs and even reduce poverty.

She stated that plastic pollution is a major environmental issue, claiming that millions of tonnes of plastic waste end up in oceans, landfills, and waterways each year.

Also, the chief scientist officer of the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Bolaji Osinowo, said that the 2023 edition of World Environment Day’s focus on combating plastic pollution is timely, as that type of pollution is a major challenge to the global economy and the environment.

According to him, at least 400 million metric tonnes of plastic waste are produced each year, with half of this going unused and ending up in the environment as waste.

He said, “we should go for the policy of the Lagos State government on plastic waste: ‘reduce, reuse, and recycle’, and by so doing, this will help to reduce the volume of plastic waste that we generate, and we should reuse them instead of going for single-use plastic.”