PUNCH
The Lagos State government has banned the usage and distribution of Styrofoam and other single-use plastics across the state. The singular reason behind this sudden decision is that these materials immensely constitute an environmental hazard to the already overpopulated city, which remains the commercial capital of the country. Discarded plastic bottles, bags, sachets and Styrofoam food packaging have become an eyesore in the bustling city; but even more is their damaging impact by clogging and obstructing water channels, culverts, lagoons, and sewage conduits. Therefore, aside from the fact that Lagosians were not given any warning shot before the ban, this is a welcome development.
This is a global trend, and some other African countries have already grabbed the bull by the horns. The Lagos ban will bite hard because a great bulk of commercial activities is based on consumerism. In turn, consumerism is serviced by the packaging industry. Every day, the people who troop to Alaba, Oshodi, Eko, Ikeja, and many other international commercial hubs of the city get their goods wrapped and delivered with single-use plastics and Styrofoam holders. We are talking about tens of millions of such materials churned out daily and discarded the same day.
What about the food and catering industry? Polystyrene plates are used to serve many on an hourly basis, with plastic spoons to boot. These are never recycled, because they are cheap and brittle. It has become so bad that the easiest way to identify a party or social event venue is to look out for waste polystyrene plates heaped on the streets like a colourful mini dumpsite.
Some others use plastic plates to serve food, but the possibility of reusing or recycling them is infinitesimal, as most citizens see it as a matter of class to just “troway” them after meals. We view those who pick up their food packs and go home to wash and reuse as poor. So these plastics are left lying about in public vehicles and buildings, and would remain there if scavengers and plastic-for-cash pickers do not sight them before they are swept into the gutters to join other random non-biodegradable rubbish decorating the silted canals. Well, this mentality will have to shift. As the Lagos State government has taken the bold step, let other states of the federation take a cue. Perhaps, Nigeria is on the verge of going green, even if by force.
To be candid, it is going to disrupt the Lagos economic ecosystem. And it shall spell doom for many businesses as well, from manufacturers to retailers. But it would definitely create tens of thousands of new jobs while opening up new channels of creative ideas for enterprise and new markets for Lagosians to explore locally and internationally. Indeed, considering that Lagos is always a trailblazer in the African sub-region, I am convinced that it is a blessing in disguise.
This is why the Lagos State government must follow up with a well thought-out circular economy strategy as a transition model. It needs to deliberately guide the confused Lagos businessmen and businesswomen who may presently be too shell-shocked to re-innovate.
Rwanda implemented a firm plastic bag ban in 2008. Strict enforcement has had positive impacts on the environment, reducing flooding, harm to wildlife, and erosion. After a partial ban in 2009, Morocco’s law that fully banned plastic bags came into effect in July 2016. Because adhering to the ambitious law has taken time, the Moroccan government is responding to the challenges the plastic ban poses by ensuring that plastic bag alternatives are easily accessible.Related News
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According to data cited by Business Insider Africa, Morocco is 10th in Africa when it comes to generating plastic waste. Nigeria is way ahead, in the third position with 1.6 million metric tonnes. This is why the Nigerian government should have begun this journey long before now. Indeed, last year, there seemed to be a green awakening at the federal level, but the light was blown out before it ignited.
Just before former President Muhammadu Buhari left office in May 2023, he introduced a last-minute green tax policy, which was suspended by President Bola Tinubu immediately after taking the oath of office. In suspending the previous administration’s tax on single-use plastic, Tinubu missed a beautiful opportunity to set the ball rolling on this eco-pathway which would have made the Lagos ban on plastic a familiar affair. If he had left the green tax to take effect, there is every possibility that Lagosians, who control most of the national supply chain, would have acclimatised by now, psychologically and otherwise.
The policy was essentially informed by Nigeria’s commitment to the fight against climate change. There are two components to it. The first is to use the tax on SUP to discourage the proliferation of plastic production, thereby addressing the growing concern over the impact of plastic waste on the ecosystem. The second is in using the tax levy of motor vehicles of 2000 cc and above to curb carbon emissions, by discouraging the free-for-all importation of fuel-guzzling automobiles into the country.
What exactly is single-use plastic? As per the United Nation’s definition, any plastic that is made from polymers of high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, polypropylene or expanded polystyrene is single-use plastic. The consequences of using these items include the aesthetic damage created by landfills containing plastic waste, the impact on marine life of plastic residuals, the hazardous emissions of plastic incineration, and the economic inefficiencies created by the difficulty of plastic re-utilisation from recycling.
A green tax, also known as environmental tax or ecotax, is a tax levied on activities which are considered to be harmful to the environment and is intended to promote environmentally friendly activities via economic incentives. Such a policy can complement or avert the need for regulatory approaches – like seeking to prosecute carbon emitters or plastic waste dumpers. Additionally, the philosophy behind this tax regime is to make the parties involved in the pollution to feel the environmental and social burden of their actions.
The world is determined to end the proliferation of plastic waste, and Lagos should endure the impact of this paradigm shift. Over the past 50 years, the global annual production of plastics has increased dramatically, from 15 million tonnes in 1964 to roughly 311 million tonnes by 2014. This enormous growth has occurred due to its unmatched physical properties, which allow it to be widely applied in diverse economic production processes, at low cost. One of its main applications has been in the packaging industry where roughly 26 per cent of the global volume of plastics is used. Remarkably, as much as 95 per cent of plastic packaging is for single-use, either as packaging or as items intended to be used only once before they are discarded as waste or recycled. Of this amount, only five per cent is routinely recycled, and with the bulk ending up either in landfills, water courses or oceans. Single-use plastics have become a major global threat to public health and the natural environment.
How can Lagosians adapt? In implementing the ban, the Lagos State government must revise its incentive framework, enhance waste management infrastructure, and increase public education and awareness-raising initiatives, as a matter of policy. Food vendors should make customers come with plates or pay more; and corporate eateries brand paper packs for deliveries. While using biodegradable wraps, supermarkets should offer incentives to customers who shop with their own bags. Lagos innovators must cash in on this to create sustainable solutions and modes of packaging. Lagos is known for show; so let the Green and Circularity show begin.
