From Lagos beaches to dinner plates, plastic waste threatens aquatic life and human health

At Lagos’ Alpha Beach, fishermen do not always pull only fish from their nets. Plastic bottles, nylon, food wrappers, sachets, clothing and even slippers can arrive with the day’s catch.

Fisherman John Akan described the waste as an unwelcome part of his daily haul. “Yes, we catch fish, and sometimes clothes, nylon, plastic bottles and even slippers will enter the net,” he told Saturday PUNCH. Nearby, a Ghanaian fisherman identified as Gbeho pointed toward a deteriorating building where, he said, residents frequently dump plastic waste.

The report traces the waste from Lagos’ streets to its beaches, lagoons and drainage channels. Bottles bob between the waves, nylon bags collect in the surf and food wrappers lie on the sand. Some waste is pushed toward shore by incoming waves, while the retreating water carries other pieces back into the Atlantic.

Much of the debris travels through drains, canals, creeks and waterways before reaching the sea. Once there, it can become entangled with marine life or be swallowed by aquatic organisms. It can also gradually break into smaller particles that are harder to see and remove.

The pollution threatens the marine ecosystem and the people who work along the coastline or eat from its waters. At first glance, Lagos’ beaches may appear calm and inviting, but the scattered plastic reveals a growing environmental problem beneath the familiar rhythm of the shore.

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Yes, we catch fish, and sometimes clothes, nylon, plastic bottles and even slippers will enter the net.