NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
In order to arrest the menace caused to the environment, the Lagos State Government on Sunday announced a ban on the usage and distribution of Styrofoam and other single-use plastics in the state with immediate effect.
This was announced by the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, in a statement he personally signed.
Besides, Wahab also directed the State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and the Kick Against Indiscipline to immediately commence the implementation of the ban.
He asked two agencies to clamp down on all the production companies and distribution outlets for styrofoam in the state to prevent further distribution.
According to Wahab, the decision was reached following the menace that single-use plastics, especially non-biodegradable styrofoam, were causing to the environment.
He added that most drainage channels in the state are daily clogged up by styrofoam through its indiscriminate distribution and usage, despite the regular cleaning and evacuation of the drains in huge amounts.
He reiterated that the larger chunk of littering across major roads and markets that LAWMA contends with daily is made up of styrofoam.
The commissioner added that the state government cannot fold its hands and watch the continued desecration of its environment, especially in a coastal city.
Wahab explained that the state took the present action, relying on several enabling laws and regulations, such as the National Environmental (Sanitation and Waste Control) Regulation 2009, which was established pursuant to the NESREA Act and prohibited and specifically banned single-use plastic in the country but has not been enforced.
