Sharjah24 – AFP: In blistering heat, several dozen volunteers are busy collecting plastic bottles, bags and polystyrene boxes as they launch a cleanup of the longest beach in Lagos.
Nigeria's megacity of 20 million people produces between 13,000 and 15,000 tonnes of waste per day, including 2,250 tonnes of plastic, according to a Lagos recycling startup, WeCyclers.
Despite recent cleanup efforts and an emerging recycling sector, Lagos has no rubbish sorting system, and lack of public awareness about pollution presents a huge environmental challenge.
Litter in Africa's most populous city gets whisked away by the rains and waterways and ends up in piles of trash on the sprawling beaches.
Lighthouse Beach stretches for about 100 kilometres (60 miles) along the Atlantic, all the way to neighbouring Benin. Lined with palm trees, the beach could be heavenly -- if it weren't for all the pollution.
Experts with France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) reported in February that about 10 million tonnes of plastic end up in the world's oceans each year.
But at Lighthouse, the issue isn't just plastic. Rusting shipwrecks pollute the beaches, abandoned by their international owners to avoid paying for scrapping them as required by global environmental norms.
With that kind of giant pollution, even an army of volunteers may struggle. But they are hopeful that with more help they can make a difference.
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