From Lagos’ beaches to its lagoons and drainage channels, discarded plastic is finding its way into the marine ecosystem, entangling fishing nets, polluting coastal waters and entering fish consumed by residents. DANIEL AYANTOYE traces the journey of plastic waste from the streets to the sea, revealing how a growing environmental menace could be putting fishermen, aquatic life and seafood consumers at risk
At first glance, the Lagos coastline can appear deceptively inviting. The gentle waves roll towards the shore, their white foam spreading across the sand before slipping back into the vast expanse of the Atlantic. Along the beaches, fishermen return with their catch, while visitors linger by the water, seemingly absorbed in the familiar beauty and rhythm of the sea.
But a closer inspection reveals another reality, one that threatens not only the marine life that depends on the coastline, but also the people who live, work and eat from its waters.
The signs are often easy to miss at first. They may not come in the form of discoloured water or an overpowering stench. Instead, they appear in small, almost ordinary objects scattered across the shoreline: a plastic bottle bobbing between the waves, a nylon bag caught in the surf, a food wrapper washed onto the sand, or a pure water sachet drifting with the tide.
