By Laja Thomas

STATE governments in Nigeria  may compel nylon and plastic manufacturers  in their states to use Totally Degradable  Plastic  Additives{TDPA] in the production of their products, as parts of the efforts to curb the menace of pollution

Indication to this emerged last week in Lagos, when commissioners of Environment  and Senior Special Assistants to Governors  converged at the launch  of TDPA , by a Lagos State –based company  Envirton Green Nigeria Limited

Totally Degradable Plastic Additives are chemical substances employed in the manufactur  of plastic products and have been designed to control and manage  the lifetime of products , made from the most common plastics used in modern society

The use of TDPA was also been identified as not only an alternative to the recycling  of  waste poly and plastic products, but also  a means of turning  poly waste  into soil mass

Bola Ilori, the Senior  Special Assistant   to the governor of Osun State, Governor Rauf Aregbesola ,  stated that the state government  would employ the use of additives  to curb the menace of  poly product pollution

Ilori, who was a former Special Assistant in Lagos State stated that he actually started the testing of the products, five years ago  and therefore recommend it to poly products manufacturers

He noted that his experience in Lagos and Osun state had  shown that recycling the waste poly products is not the best way to solve the problem because the  recycled products still found their way back to be used

The Lagos State Commissioner  for Environment, Tunji Bello who was represented by Onisarotu  also supported the idea of using additives  in the manufacture of poly and plastic  products.

He  noted that the use of additives is  “by far cheaper than recycling the waste product , which according to him, is costing the state government a lot of money at the Ikorodu recycling plant.

The Managing Director of   Environ Green Limited, Olusanmi Abejide    noted that  nylon and pet bottles  constitute  the major parts of the refuse that pollute the environment and added that the situation is made more complex by the lifespan of the products.

He also stated that  the Federal Ministry of Environment , the Lagos State Government and the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration Control  have all tested the additives and certified it safe and effective

The Company  chairman, Eng  Olufemi Atilade Oshoniyi stated that the additives , when applied to the poly and plastic products , during production, will turn them to soil mass , when they are disposed after use

The different  states represented at the launching of the products included: Rivers , Kastina Plateau  Kano Lagos, Osun  Adamawa  Cross Rivers   Ekiti  Edo   amongst others .