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Plastic Pollution: a Nigerian Case Study
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This review paper examines how Nigeria's growing plastic waste problem, driven by poor waste collection systems and heavy reliance on single-use plastic bags, is polluting water sources with tiny plastic fragments called microplastics, which can end up in the food and water people consume. This matters because these plastics don't just harm wildlife and ecosystems; they can also make their way into our bodies, and scientists still don't fully understand the health risks. The researchers call for better waste management, stronger regulations, and new cleanup methods (like using activated carbon to filter out plastics) to tackle this growing problem before it gets worse.
Nigeria, a country in West Africa, is grappling with the detrimental effects of plastic waste on its ecosystems and communities. Plastic wastes have two major categories of macro-and microplastics according to respective sizes. The urgent need for concerted efforts to determine the extent and characteristics of plastics waste, especially microplastics pollution in Nigerian water resources is emphasized. Land and marine-based plastic wastes have negative effects on human, aquatics systems and wildlife. Societal challenges contributing to plastic pollution in Nigeria include poor waste management practices, insufficient capacity and investment in waste collection infrastructure and prevalence of singleuse plastic bags. The study also highlights that the few successes recorded in the fight against plastic pollution by virtue of Nigeria's recent collaboration with the World Economic Forum's Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP). This study recommends improved waste management practices, regulatory measures, increased research efforts and implementation of novel removal strategies (activated carbon adsorption), as feasible strategies for mitigating plastic pollution in Nigeria.
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Plastic Pollution and Framework Towards Sustainable Plastic Waste Management in Nigeria: Case Study
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Nigeria faces a growing plastic pollution crisis driven by the rapid expansion of companies producing plastic bottles and sachet water packaging. This paper examines the scale of the problem and proposes a framework for more sustainable plastic waste management, drawing on case studies of existing challenges and potential interventions. While focused on policy and waste management rather than microplastics specifically, reducing plastic waste at source directly limits the amount that fragments into environmental microplastics.
Microplastics in the Nigerian Environment- A review
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This review summarizes microplastic contamination in Nigeria, covering sources, distribution in the environment, and potential impacts on ecosystems and human health. The study highlights that microplastics are now detectable throughout Nigerian environments and calls for greater research attention and policy action in the West African context.
Plastic Pollution in the Environment in Nigeria: A Rapid Systematic Review of the Sources, Distribution, Research Gaps and Policy Needs
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This systematic review examines plastic pollution across Nigeria's environment, including water, soil, air, and food. The research finds that plastic contamination is widespread but under-studied in African countries, with significant gaps in data and policy. Understanding plastic pollution in developing nations is critical because these regions often lack the waste management infrastructure to prevent microplastic contamination of food and water.
A Comprehensive Review on Microplastics Pollution in Nigerian Aquatic Environments
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This comprehensive review examined microplastic pollution across Nigerian aquatic environments, including rivers, lagoons, estuaries, and sediments. Researchers found that microplastics are widespread in Nigerian waters due to poor waste management, wastewater discharges, and industrial activities, with contamination also detected in food and drinking water consumed by the population.
Global Plastic Pollution and the Nigerian Dimensions
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This review examines global plastic pollution trends with a focus on Nigeria, covering plastic production history, environmental distribution, ecological effects, and policy challenges in the West African context. The authors document how weak waste management infrastructure and high plastic consumption growth rates make Nigeria particularly vulnerable to microplastic pollution in rivers, coastlines, and food chains.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.