Govt calls for support as war on plastic waste declared

THE Government is ready to help beat the plastic pollution and needs the support of everyone to make it happen, a Cabinet minister says.
Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change John Pundari said PNG was recorded as the biggest generator of marine plastic debris among the Secretariat of the PacificRegional Environment Programme member countries, including Australia and New Zealand.
Sprep has 21 Pacific Island member countries and territories which includes the American Samoa, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Northern Marianas, Palau, PNG, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Wallis and Futuna. Pundari said according to a recent Sprep study, Papua New Guinea recorded 90,000 tons of mismanaged plastic in 2010 and by 2050, it was projected to triple to 320,000 tons.
“This is truly an alarming rate and it is time we move to stop the rapid rise in plastic pollution,” he said.
Pundari said the government had taken right steps in the right direction to ban the use of all plastic shopping bags in PNG by November next year and reiterated the need for plastics to be reduced, reused or recycled.
Pundari said the task would be challenging, but Papua New Guinea must take some serious actions and start somewhere to address t plastic pollution.
Pundari commend Japanese International Cooperation Agency (Jica) for its support to fund and undertake a feasibility study to set up a recycling plant at Baruni Dump in the National Capital District in partnership with the National Capital District Commission.
The recycling facility will convert papers and paper cardboards into charcoal and vinegar that can be used as a repellant for malaria and dengue fever, soil disinfectant and for other uses.