Lagos State government, yesterday, said it has scaled up advocacy on the dangers of styrofoam use, even as it seeks to accelerate behavioural change among residents.
Commissioner for Environment and Water, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this when he hosted representatives of the National Association of Supermarkets Operators of Nigeria (NASON).
He said the ban on styrofoam should be looked at in terms of the larger picture it portends to residents, and that the campaign is to ensure the message on why they should embrace the policy is passed to all segments of the society.
He sought the support of the association and its members, stressing there will be no going back on the ban.
Wahab said Abia State also announced a ban of the use of styrofoam recently, underscoring the dangers it poses to human and environmental health. He said the decision to ban styrofoam and other single-use plastics was taken at the National Council on Environment in 2021, with a three-year window for commencement of enforcement in 2024.
According to him, following the expiration of a three-week window given to distributors and sellers to mop up products in circulation, the state will commence enforcement in a civil but firm manner.
He said all other single-use plastics would be banned before the year runs out. But there would be windows for deliberations with stakeholders before they are phased out.
He urged the association to ensure the information is communicated to members. He also enjoined manufacturers to be innovative and come up with substitutes to single-use plastics. According to him, India with its huge population has successfully done away with styrofoam, despite being reputed as the country with the largest concentration of eating out points.
Meanwhile, the commissioner, while featuring as a guest on a popular TV programme, stressed that officials of the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) brigade, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, and Lagos State Waste Management Agency (LAWMA) are currently enlightening the masses on the need to transit from the use of styrofoam to multiple-use containers.
He said: “As a result of the continuous usage of styrofoam, the disruption to our ecosystem is beyond imagination. The human health implication is enormous. Now is the time for the government to make a choice between the interest of 22 million people and the interest of very few business people that are out to make profit, bearing in mind that a core element used in the production of styrofoam is a major cause of cancer in the human body.”
