Yemi Olakitan 
In a significant step towards reducing plastic waste, the Lagos State Government has announced plans to ban single-use plastics, including pet bottles and sachet water, starting January 2025.
This move follows the earlier ban on styrofoam in government establishments and the metropolis in January 2024, aimed at mitigating the harmful effects of plastic waste on the environment.
Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, announced this on Thursday, at a stakeholders’ workshop and awareness on the implementation of the ban on the usage of Styrofoam and SUPs for packaging in Lagos, held at Manufacturer Association of Nigeria, MAN HOUSE, 77 Awolowo Road, Ikeja.
Wahab, who was represented by the Special Adviser on The Environment, Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu, explained that the ban set to commence in January 2025, is part of measures by the State Government to put in place policy guidelines for plastic utility in further ensuring sustainable management of plastic waste, healthy and safe environment.
Wahab added that the policy guideline will also be backed up with an appropriate legal framework to be established through an enabling law.
He disclosed that Lagos presently generates about 13,000 tonnes of waste products monthly, with plastics making up over 60 per cent.
According to Wahab, “Plastic waste materials make up a significant proportion of solid wastes and litter the metropolis.
“It has become a highly visible part of the waste stream, PET, Styrofoam and nylon for sachet water, popularly called “pure water” commonly being used for water and beverages, take away plates and cups, carrier bags, among others.
“This development is posing environmental challenges ranging from Ecosystems degradation, Drainage clogging and flooding, Lagoon and Ocean debris with attendant harm to humans resulting in high socio-economic impacts on the State.”
He stressed that effective plastic waste management is fundamental to the delivery of the State government’s priority transformational agenda as laid down in the Lagos State Development Plan (LSDP) and THEMES’ Plus Agenda of Governor Bababjide Sanwo-Olu because it is a resource that can be managed to achieve economic, social and environmental benefits.
Wahab added that sustainable plastic waste management will create value from the waste stream and formalize the waste-pickers sector to improve livelihoods and reduce the pressure on landfills.
Stakeholders urged the government to implement the ban in phases, rather than enforcing it outright, to ensure effective compliance and minimize economic hardship. Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, announced the ban at a stakeholders’ workshop.
According to Wahab, Nigeria adopted a national policy on plastic waste management in 2020, which envisioned a ban on single-use plastics by 2025. The Federal Ministry of Environment has already discontinued the use of single-use plastics at its headquarters and agencies.
Other African countries, such as Tanzania, Botswana, Mali, Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Africa, have also banned single-use plastics or imposed high taxes on them. The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that 21-25 million tons of plastic trash pollute the planet’s rivers, lakes, and oceans annually.
