Lagos to Ban Pure Water, Bottled Water, Other Single-Use Plastics, Set Date to Begin
- The Lagos State government has disclosed plans to ban sachet water and other single-use plastics in the state
- The commissioner for the Environment, Tokunbo Wahab, said the ban is necessary to curb the threat to the environment
- He disclosed that the government would support the ban with a legal framework for effective compliance
Legit.ng’s Pascal Oparada has reported on tech, energy, stocks, investment and the economy for over a decade.
The Lagos state government has announced it will enforce the ban on sachet water, popularly called pure water, starting in January 2025.
The state also said it would ban the circulation of single-use plastics such as pet bottles.
Source: Getty Images
Lagos to enforce the ban in January 2025
The move follows the government’s earlier January prohibition of styrofoam use in response to the growing environmental threats of plastic waste.
Reports say that the Environment and Water Resources Commissioner, Tokunbo Wahab, announced this at the stakeholder workshop Organised by the Manufacturers Associaton of Nigeria (MAN) in Lagos on Thursday, October 3, 2024.
The commissioner disclosed that the ban aims to ensure sustainable plastic waste management and promote a healthier environment.
He said that with Lagos generating about 13,000 tonnes of waste monthly, 60% of which is plastic, the policy is crucial in reducing environmental pollution.
Manufacturers ask Lagos to enforce the ban in phases
Wahab said that a legal framework would support the ban and ensure compliance.
Stakeholders at the workshop, however, asked the government to effect the ban in phases.
Legit.ng earlier reported that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos banned Styrofoam and other single-use plastics in January this year due to environmental concerns.
The government announced the state's commissioner for environment and water resources, Tokunbo Wahab, on Sunday, January 21.
In a tweet on Sunday, Wahab said the ban was necessary because of the growing menace of single-use plastics, particularly the non-biodegradable Styrofoam.
Lagos styrofoam, plastics ban brings applause and concern
Legit.ng earlier reported that from trash-strewn pavements to street vendors packing meals in polystyrene containers, plastic waste is a constant menace in the urban landscape of Lagos, Nigeria's economic capital and the continent's most populous city.
That image could soon change if the Lagos state government implements its recent ambitious ban on the use of polystyrene and single-use plastics.
Tokunbo Wahab, the Commissioner for Environment of Lagos State, announced the ban on styrofoam boxes and single-use plastics "with immediate effect," which took many Lagosians by surprise, especially those living in the informal sector.
Proofread by Kola Muhammed, journalist and copyeditor at Legit.ng
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