As the global community marks the 2023 World Environment Day, women have been called upon to ensure they properly dispose of their wastes, especially, plastics wastes to avoid amplifying the pollution crisis in the around the globe.

Woman Leader of Bonny Kingdom, Helen Pepple, who made this call in commemoration of the World Environment Day 2023, said the theme for this year, ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’ is apt as it would galvanize awareness and consciousness in the society, especially, among women to focus on the “very important roles they have to play in protecting our environment”.

While applauding women entrepreneurs across the globe for their invaluable contributions to job creation and career growth opportunities to their fellow women and even men, she appealed to them to also prioritize how wastes from their businesses and business palces are disposed.

“It has to be in line with established protocols for waste disposal in such a way as not to further impinge on the state of the environment. As women we have a role in protecting our environment.”

“Women all over the world are doing a great job in providing jobs and opportunity to grow in their careers for their fellow women and even the men in the society, but we have also ensure that the wastes generated from the business we do and where we work are properly managed.”  

The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) says “plastic pollution can alter habitats and natural processes, reducing ecosystems’ ability to adapt to climate change, directly affecting millions of people’s livelihoods, food production capabilities and social well-being”.

With women increasingly taking up a larger market share among small and medium scale enterprises, and transition from metals to plastic, plastic wastes would increase and disposing off of them could pose as an existential challenge thus incumbent on women to join hands with other stakeholders to mitigate the situation.