STYROFOAM BAN: LAWMA, MAN BRAINSTORM ON WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
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Following the recent restriction on the use of Styrofoam packs in the state, the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) met to explore how to implement sustainable waste management techniques.
The managing director and CEO of LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, spoke to the stakeholders and reaffirmed the authority’s support for the T.H.E.M.E.S. Plus initiative of the Lagos State Government, while emphasizing that the State Government’s ban on styrofoam was necessary to preserve the environment and public health.
He said, “It is necessary to establish that lack of access to a good environment and lack of awareness about the dangers of some of the items we make use of to consume food cause a lot of damage to our health. It is high time we face reality and choose only what is right and healthy for people. It is not right to place the narrow business interests of a few individuals above the larger challenge of public interest. So Styrofoam has to go, he concluded.
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN)’s immediate past chairman, Engr. Frank Onyegbu, stated earlier in his opening remarks that the association was taking a bold step by offering alternatives to the current implementation of the ban on Styrofoam products and that the meeting was called to ensure that the Lagos State government and the association were on the same page on environmental matters.
Onyegbu said, “To ensure that we are not caught up with the current situation in the future, we will not wait till the government announces further bans on other products we are manufacturing. To achieve this, we will take a cursory look at how our products affect the environment and make adjustments where necessary.”
The meeting had in attendance the management staff of LAWMA, representatives of plastic production companies in Lagos, and members of MAN.
Similarly, National Association of Supermarkets and Operators of Nigeria (NASON) representatives were hosted by Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, who said that the ban on styrofoam packs should be considered in the context of the broader public interest.
He clarified that Abia State had also outlawed foam packs, highlighting the inherent risks associated with them. He also mentioned that the National Council on Environment had decided in 2021 to outlaw foam and other single-use plastics, with enforcement to begin in 2024 and run for three years.
The Commissioner claimed that the state would begin enforcing the prohibition, promising to do so in a civil but forceful manner, after the current three-week period for distributors and merchants to clean up the products in circulation expires.
Before the year is out, he proposes that all other single-use plastics (SUPs) will be outlawed. He also mentioned that there would be periods of time during which all stakeholders could discuss the matter before a complete phase-out took place.
Wahab further urged manufacturers to be more creative in developing alternatives to single-use plastics, noting that many nations—including densely populated India—have effectively done away with Styrofoam, despite India’s well-deserved reputation as the nation with the highest density of fast-food restaurants.
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