Abstract:
Plastic litter negatively affects the environment and human health. Therefore, some countries and states have banned or taxed plastic bag use. For example, Rwanda, Mexico City, and China have introduced bans on plastic bags, as have Kenya and Rwanda in Africa. In this study, I assessed public perceptions of a proposed federal ban on plastic bags in Nigeria. Using a structured questionnaire, I interviewed 200 customers and 10 shop managers in Yola-Jimeta, northeastern Nigeria. More than half of the respondents throw away plastic bags after one use, and few reuse their plastic bags. Cross-tabulations showed that gender was the only significant predictor regarding what shoppers do with plastic bags. Men were more likely to throw away plastic bags after single use. Respondents in this study had a relatively high degree of environmental awareness: Most (90%) said plastic bags are harmful to the environment, and 73.5% said plastic bags are harmful to human health. Thus, it was not surprising that many respondents (71%) were willing to support a federal ban on plastic bags. For those who were unwilling or unsure, a brief educational presentation on the negative impacts of plastic bags changed the minds of 45% of these respondents in favor of a ban (McNemar’s test, p = .000, n = 58). This study shows that education may play an important role in public acceptable of a federal ban on plastic bags in Nigeria. Thus, the Nigerian government should conduct awareness programs using traditional and social media before implementing any ban.
