The Lagos government says there is no going back on the total ban on using and distributing styrofoam.

The environment and water resources commissioner, Tokunbo Wahab, said this at a consultative meeting with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and Restaurant and Food Services Proprietors Association of Nigeria (REFSPAN) on Thursday in Lagos.

Mr Wahab noted that enough damage had been done to the health of the people and the environment using styrofoam.

“The only soft landing which the state is willing to offer all producers and distributors of styrofoam is to delay the enforcement of the ban by three weeks,” he said.

He said three weeks were enough time for the products already in the state to be exhausted if the stockists were committed.

Mr Wahab noted that the pronouncement on the ban on styrofoam was made over three years ago but was not enforced.

According to him, the manufacturers’ appeal to put the ban on hold is like wanting people to take poison longer to reduce their (manufacturers) commercial losses.

He maintained that the havoc caused to public utility by styrofoam products during and after the rainy season was unimaginable.

The permanent secretary (Office of Environmental Services), Gaji Tajudeen, noted that the decision to ban the product was reached following the menace caused by using styrofoam in the environment.

He said the product was not recyclable and would remain the same after 100 years.

He added that styrofoam was hazardous to wild and aquatic life, and animals often mistake them for food.

The managing director of Lagos Waste Management Authority ( LAWMA), Muyiwa Gbadegeshin, said the government could no longer continue to watch styrofoam packs clog the drainage channels.

Mr Gbadegeshin said that the plastic product was dangerous to human health.

“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,” Mr Gbadegesin said.

The representatives of MAN, Okpe Sunday and REFSPAN, Olaoye Kazeem, pleaded for leniency and for time to allow them to use existing stock before enforcement.

On January 21, 2023, the Lagos government immediately announced a ban on using and distributing styrofoam and other single-use plastics.

(NAN)