The Ekiti State government has commenced moves to ban single-use plastics (SUPs) to ensure a safe, cleaner, and healthier environment.

The ban will include items like Styrofoam food packs, disposable cups, plastic straws, and cutlery, as well as nylon bags thinner than 40 microns. However, PET bottles and water sachets.

This was just as the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Mr. Aribasoye Stephen Aribasoye, said that the state legislature would give the Single-Use Plastics Regulation Bill accelerated passage.

He spoke at the weekend at the Pro-Legislative Stakeholder Forum on the Single-Use Plastics Regulation Bill, Ado-Ekiti, organized by Triple Green Environmental Development Foundation (TGED Foundation), in conjunction with the House Committee on Environment.

He said: “We are here because of what we have seen as one of the factors contributing to environmental degradation and flooding, which has also been causing pollution in the air.

“Through research, it has been confirmed that single-use plastics could last for 500 years. Our focus is on how we can eradicate it. That is why this parley is critical because the outcome will form part of the bill.”

In her welcome address, Founder & Executive Director of TGED Foundation, Ms. Oluwaseyi Ebenezer, said the Pre-Legislative Stakeholders Forum on the Regulation of Single-Use Plastics (SUPs) was convened not merely for discussion, but for action—action that would shape policy, secure the environment, and position Ekiti as a trailblazer in sustainable governance.

According to her, though convenient, these items have become a persistent threat to the environment, economy, and public health.

“According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), over 430 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally each year, two-thirds of which are for short-term use. Tragically, less than 10% is recycled, with the remainder polluting our land, waterways, and even our bodies.

“In Nigeria, we generate about 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, a significant portion of which is single-use. In Ekiti, we see the consequences daily.

“We must commend the Ekiti State House of Assembly, especially the House Committee on Environment, for taking this bold step toward enacting a Single-Use Plastics Regulation Bill.

“This proposed legislation is timely and visionary—aligned with global standards like the United Nations Plastics Treaty and directly contributing to Sustainable Development Goals 12 and 13.”

The guest speaker and Deputy Vice Chancellor, Ekiti State University, Prof. Wole Adebayo, in his presentation titled “Understanding the Impact of Plastic Pollution, Environmental, Health and Economic Consequences,” called for more awareness and sensitisation of single-use plastic and the danger it poses to health.

He also said that used plastics can be converted into wealth by purchasing these products and recycling them into a refined product.