Converting Discarded Water Sachets and Other Plastic Wastes into Wealth

The issue of environmental degradation caused by plastic waste products occupies a central place at both national and international conference, yet little has been done to arrest the problem particularly in developing countries. About ten billion U.S. dollar worth of plastic materials enter the Nigerian market annually. Of this total, about 90% are thrown away after usage as solid waste or useless materials. We have perfected the technologies to refine and convert ethylene into polyethylene and other plastic materials, but we have not made any strides towards recycling used water sachet and other plastic waste products in our environment. This paper is developed on the belief that recycling of plastic waste products is one secret of converting waste into wealth as well as turning poverty into affluence with the aim of turning the entire stakeholders into agents of environmental sanitation in Enugu State. Against this background, this paper examines the sanitary and economic implications of recycling used water sachet and other plastic products in the state. ESWAMA was established by Edict No. 8 of 2004 to put in place the machinery for achieving this objective. Water sachets and plastic products are produced from polythene, a polymer of ethene, a monomer. Plastic waste recycling consists of sorting, collecting and processing the recyclable plastic waste and molding the densified materials into marketable products. Plastic recycling extends the resources life span, reduces energy consumption, reduces investment cost on equipment and provides employment opportunities and therefore reduces poverty. The two main types of recycling – open loop and close loop – which can be adopted in Enugu State include both reuse and recovery. Recycled post consumer plastic products such as park benches, picnic tables and chairs are highly marketable because they are colour fast, non-corrosive, cheap and no-absorbent, and therefore, requires minimal maintenance. Used tryes can also be recovered and reused commercially – as supplemental fuel in paper and pulp industry – to generate income. Sorting and scavenging increases both the quantity and rate of capture of the recyclable plastic waste materials. These activities are sub-optimal because of poor recycling facilities and lack of deliberate government policy and legislation on plastic recycling. Consequently, the author commends public education and enlightenment programmes, establishment of recycling industries, market promotion of the recycled products and deliberate government policy on recycling to arrest the environmental problems created by plastic waste material in Enugu State.