Take-away packs: Lagos maintains stance on styrofoam ban, gives three weeks moratorium

Lagos State Government, yesterday, said there is no going back on the total ban of usage and distribution of styrofoam in the state.The affirmation was made at a consultative meeting between the state and representatives of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and Restaurant and Food Services Proprietors Association of Nigeria (REFSPAN), at the Alausa Secretariat.

Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, who spoke on behalf of the state, said enough damage has been done to the health of the people and the environment. He said the only moratorium which the state is willing to offer all producers and distributors of styrofoam is to delay enforcement of the ban by three weeks.

According to him, three weeks is enough time for products already in the state to be exhausted, if indeed the producers are committed. Wahab noted that the pronouncement on ban of styrofoam was made over three years ago, adding that no one had tried to enforce the law till now.

“You will all agree with me that for over three years, this conversation had been ongoing, waiting for when the big bold step of enforcement will be taken,” he said.

The commissioner said the lives that have been lost through the effect of the use of styrofoam, the destruction of the ecosystem and aquatic life as well as the menace brought upon the environment cannot be quantified.

He said the lives of residents is far more important than the profit producers are set to make through continuous production of styrofoam . Wahab described the effect of styrofoam on the healthcare system as enormous, saying the appeal by manufacturers to put the ban on hold is like wanting people to take poison for a longer time to mitigate commercial losses.

He maintained that the havoc caused to public utility by the product, during and after the rainy season, is unimaginable, stressing that had producers been responsible enough to respect the law, the government would not have waded into the matter.

According to him, the government is putting a human face to the ban by giving a three-week moratorium to producers and entrepreneurs in the hospitality business.

He said people must bear in mind that leadership and governance involves making tough decisions. He said: “Producers have a responsibility to the society but none has taken steps to be responsible by conducting an environmental impact assessment before commencement of production for public use.”

Speaking earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Gaji Omobolaji Tajudeen, said the decision for a ban was reached on account of the menace caused by the use of styrofoam to the environment.

He noted that the product is not recyclable, and would remain the same after hundreds of years. He added that styrofoam is hazardous to wild and aquatic life, and that animals often mistake them for food.

Also, the Managing Director of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority, Muyiwa Gbadegeshin, said the state can no longer continue to watch styrofoam packs clogging drainage channels.

“It will be irresponsible for the government to sit and fold its hands because the cost of clearing those packs from tertiary, secondary and primary drains is very expensive,” he added.

On their parts, the representatives of MAN, Okpe Sunday; and REFSPAN, Olaoye Kazeem, pleaded for leniency and time to use up existing stock before commencement of enforcement.