Lagos begins crackdown on single-use plastics amid pollution concerns
The Lagos Assert authorities the day prior to this commenced fat enforcement of its ban on single-consume plastics (SUPs) lower than 40 microns in thickness, with a inform to seal markets and shops found promoting or storing the prohibited items.
The Commissioner for Ambiance and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, launched this all by contrivance of a press briefing on the ministry’s convention room in Alausa, Ikeja, declaring that the enforcement follows a six-month grace duration that expired on June 30, 2025.
“There will likely be no reversal of the enforcement, which officially took elevate out on July 1,” Wahab declared.
The prohibited items encompass styrofoam packs, plastic straws, disposable plastic cups and cutlery, and light-weight-weight nylon bags. Wahab outlined that the ban is geared in opposition to reducing plastic extinguish, minimising air pollution, and promoting environmental sustainability.
The Lagos Assert authorities first launched the ban in January 2024, granting an preliminary one-one year inspect and a six-month moratorium to enable stakeholders time to modify. Wahab notorious that producers and distributors of the banned items are permitted to promote them outside the divulge.
Citing a United Nations file, Wahab said Lagos generates about 34 kg of plastic extinguish per person yearly, with unparalleled of it leaking into the water system. “That’s equal to every Lagos resident throwing 10 plastic water bottles into waterways day-to-day,” he notorious.
The selection to ban single-consume plastics adopted broad consultations with stakeholders, in conjunction with representatives from the Producers Association of Nigeria (MAN), the Recycling and Food Packaging Associations (REFSPAN), and the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA).
Wahab brushed off concerns about job losses, declaring that the transition would sort alternatives in eco-worthwhile packaging and different solutions. “This ban is geared in opposition to keeping the ambiance and public health, no longer harming agencies.”
It’s a name to innovate and adapt,” he said.
He extra warned that enforcement would be strict, with offenders penalised below Lagos Assert environmental authorized guidelines. “Markets and shops found promoting or storing banned items will likely be sealed, goods confiscated, and offenders penalised,” he said.
Lagos, as a coastal metropolis, faces queer challenges from plastic extinguish, in conjunction with blocked drainage programs and ecosystem distress. Wahab stressed the urgency of the ban, asserting, “Ample is ample. We is never any longer going to compromise on the protection and effectively-being of our residents. That is a battle we must proceed for our future and for our planet.”
