The Lagos State Government has reaffirmed its position about the State’s ban on Styrofoam containers.

Nonetheless, regulatory authorities have granted a three-week moratorium to manufacturers and distributors, after which full enforcement will begin.

The State Administration announced on Sunday, January 21, 2024, stating that they will enforce a prohibition on the distribution and usage of single-use plastics, including Styrofoam, throughout the State.

The Government affirmed that the State’s complete ban on the use and distribution of single-use plastics is here to stay.  This was said during a consultative meeting between the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, representatives of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, and the Restaurant and Food Services Proprietor Association of Nigeria.

The State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, revealed this information in a statement on X on Thursday, January 25, 2024.

A portion of the statement said, “The Lagos State Government has been discussing with manufacturers’ methods to terminate the use of single-use plastics in the state, even though they announced the ban more than three years ago.”

“It is inconceivable the devastation and chaos that single-use plastics create for public utilities both during and after the rainy season.”

“It is impossible to calculate the number of lives lost as a result of the usage of Styrofoam, the devastation of aquatic life and ecosystems, and the threat to the environment.”

“The lives of the people are considerably more essential to a responsible government than the profits that manufacturers aim to gain from the ongoing production of Styrofoam.”

“The only reprieve that the state is willing to grant to all manufacturers and retailers of Styrofoam is a three-week postponement of the start of the ban’s enforcement, following which the Government will resume full enforcement of the law.”

Read Also: Explosion in Abuja, Command Restores Order

Lagos State has been fighting the threat of plastic pollution, according to a January 2023 story, even though Nigeria has an estimated $2 billion recycling system.

Despite Government efforts to solve the issue of plastic pollution and turn it into a profitable enterprise, the environmental worry persists. The research states that Lagos State produces 870,000 tons of plastic rubbish yearly.