Ban on Styrofoam Stands, Lagos Tells Supermarket Owners

The Lagos State government, on Tuesday, said it was intensifying advocacy across different levels in the state on the dangers inherent in the use of styrofoams as well as to accelerate behavioural change among Lagosians.

The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, made this known when he hosted representatives of the National Association of Supermarkets and Operators of Nigeria.

He urged that the ban on styrofoam be looked at in terms of the larger picture for all residents, a statement said on Tuesday.

He noted that the campaign was to ensure that the message was passed to all segments of society on why they should embrace the ban.

The commissioner called for the support of the association and their members, stressing that there was no going back on the ban.

While saying that the ban was already having a “bandwagon effect,” Wahab said, “Abia State also just announced a ban on the usage of styrofoam, underscoring the inherent dangers it poses to human and environmental health.”

He reiterated that the decision to ban styrofoam and other single-use plastics was taken at the National Council on Environment in 2021 with a window of three years for enforcement to commence in 2024.

Wahab, who urged manufacturers to be innovative about coming up with substitutes for styrofoams and single-use plastics, said at the expiration of the three-week window given to distributors and sellers to mop the products in circulation, the state would commence enforcement of the ban, promising that the enforcement would be carried out in a civil, but firm manner.