International Centre for Training of Authorities and Leaders (CIFAL) hosted by Rivers State University, in partnership with Health Environment and You (HEY) a leading civil society organization dedicated to environmental sustainability is implementing a training/awareness programme for secondary schools in Nigeria as part of its broader Climate Action initiative.

The World Environment Day 2026 Secondary Schools Training Programme is designed to equip young people with the knowledge and practical skills needed to address one of the country’s most pervasive environmental challenges: the improper disposal of single‑use plastic packets, particularly water sachets. These plastics, widely used across Nigeria, have become a dominant source of pollution in school environments, streets, drainage channels, and water bodies.
Nigeria consumes over 2.5 billion litres of sachet water annually, translating into billions of plastic sachets entering the environment every year. With limited recycling systems and weak waste management infrastructure, most of these sachets end up:
Clogging drainage systems,
Littering streets and open spaces,
Polluting waterways and coastal areas,
Accumulating in landfills and informal dumps.

The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has consistently warned that discarded sachets contribute significantly to flooding, ecosystem degradation, and public health risks. This growing crisis underscores the urgent need for behavioural change, especially among young people who are both major consumers and key.