Samuel Kallon 
By- Aruna Rashed Toma Bangura
The Environmental Protection Agency has on past Friday 9th June, 2023 commemorated the World Environment day with the theme ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’ at the Aberdeen beach, west of Freetown.
The keynote speaker, who is the representative of the Minister of Environment, Director Edwin Baimba said waste management of urban cities will be managed sustainably, adding that the World Bank through the Resilient Urban Sierra Leone Project has funded the government through the Ministry of Environment in developing a National Plastic and Plastic Waste Management Policy. He added that the policy has been approved by Parliament on 15th March, 2023 and will be popularized nationwide and shared with their development partners, relevant MDAs, CSOs, private sector and business entity.
He further that the Ministry of Environment has sent drafting instructions to the Law Officers Department to develop a Plastic and Plastic Waste Management bill which will be eventually laid in Parliament to be enacted into law. He said it is only through this process; Sierra Leone can beat plastic pollution, adding that the policy will achieve five critical goals ranging from plastic pollution elimination, transition to fertility, economic development and employment across the plastic value chain, enabling the environment and sustainability to financially sustainability in managing plastic waste.
Dr. Edwin Baimba stated that plastic has become one of the most popular resource in the modern world because it is cheap, easy to produce, durable and light, adding that most the plastics produced globally are designed to be thrown away which resulted into single use disposable plastic waste accumulation.
He continued that according to United Nations Environment Program, only 9% of the 9 billion tons of plastics the world has ever produced has been recycled as most ends in landfills, dumps or in the open environment. He added that plastics have potential health effects on humans and animals by causing flooding, affecting the agriculture and marine environment.
Dr. Edwin Baimba disclosed that plastic pollution has become a global problem that requires all countries action to address the issue in a sustainable manner, adding that according to the United Nations Environment Program report, more than 50 countries have introduced some measures to limit single use plastic and some countries have taken a phase out approach of single use reduction complimented with economic instruments.
He reiterated that the National plastic policy is already in the process of popularization that will be done through jingles, radio discussions, banners and flyers.
The Executive Chairman of the Environmental Protection Agency, Dr. Francis Gevao stated that there will be more plastic in the ocean by 2050 than before, adding that plastics are manufactured from fossil and that plastic do not degrade.
He said the 4 days effort of the Ministry of Environment and the Environmental Protection Agency is replicated across the provinces. And stated that plastics clogged water ways and gutters and dirty the beaches.
Dr. Gevao continued that 1 in 3 fish has plastic debris in their tummies and that plastics have 400 chemicals in them as 400,000 marine ingested plastic as food. He added that plastic chemicals have harmful effects on humans and plastic burns emits chemical into the air.
According to him, single use plastics are for packaging in Sierra Leone which he said has been banned in some countries, adding that a plastic policy has been designed by the MOE to be discussed in parliament and admonished students and participants at the event not to throw plastic in garbage in water ways during rains.
The European Union representative for Rural Development and Infrastructure, Holger Romen congratulated the school children, students, waste collectors, tricycle drivers for their effort towards waste management collection. He said the more importance of what needed to be done is for them to carry the message with them and to take action leading to change.
He said policy making will he situation as decisions will be taken in the form of laws and rules but called on participants for the right rules to be made.
He said he is delighted to mark the commemoration of World Environment day in Sierra Leone as it clocks 50 years as it was first celebrated in 197 3, a year after the formation of the United Nations Environment. He added significant amount of plastic wastes are found on the beautiful beaches of the country.
Holger Rommen furthered that plastic persist in nature for a more extended period time than degradable materials knowing that single use plastic waste are of particular concern as their effects on wildlife, marine wildlife are disastrous.
The Chief of Party for Breakthrough ACTION, James Sulaiman Fofanah said change happened at individual levels. He said the need to have action as individual start from homes, offices and schools, while he stated that “change starts with us.”
He said the event is to get awareness of the problem as their roles as partners is funded by USAID and they provide support both technical and financially.
Other speakers include representatives from the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and the National Tourist Board.
The official World Environment Day started on 5th June, 2023 and ended 9th June, 2023 with a procession from the Sierra Leone Gulf Club to the National Tourist Board where the commemoration was climaxed.
