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The Lagos State Government is set to commence enforcement of the ban on single-use plastics in markets and other places from today, July 1, 2025.
The enforcement begins following the expiration of an 18-month moratorium granted after the initial announcement in January 2024.
The ban prohibits the sale and use of disposable plastic bags, including the widely used black nylon bags.
In an interview , the Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment, Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu, confirmed that the enforcement would start on Tuesday with a press conference at Alausa, after which teams would move to markets.
“All along, we had not gone out to enforce the ban because we were observing the moratorium window and sensitising,” Akodu said.
“In terms of how we intend to carry it out, it’s simple; we’ve done it before. There has been a ban on Styrofoam, so we will follow the same protocol.
“We have held a series of meetings with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, private bodies, business entities, and those who have something to do with the value chain of the supplies.
“If we leave it and let it be, this administration will be over, and I can assure you that it will never be done because people will keep begging for postponement, and procrastination kills dreams.
“So when our people move into the markets, by the time enforcement comes on the first and second day, we wouldn’t need to carry it out on the fifth day before people will begin to comply.
“In fact, some are already complying. It’s just that people like to dare the government, thinking they will not come,” the SA told The PUNCH in a telephone interview.
Meanwhile, the News Agency of Nigeria reports that some traders were already lamenting the ban.
The policy had drawn criticism from market traders and plastic manufacturers, who claimed that the ban was rushed without providing accessible or affordable alternatives.
A manager at a plastic bag production facility in the Costain area of the state, Tunde Adebayo, said the ban would most likely lead to the loss of jobs in the sector.
“This is our main business. If they stop plastic, what happens to our jobs? We employ over 40 staff members. We’ve received no support or notice of alternatives from the government,” Adebayo said.
At Oyingbo market, where nylon bags are used daily to package perishable produce like pepper, tomato, meat and vegetables, some traders said they were unaware of the ban or when it would take effect.
A trader for over 10 years at Oyingbo Market, Bimbo Adetola, told NAN she was unaware of the ban or its enforcement in July.
“I don’t even know what I will use to wrap tomatoes or meat, what do they expect us to use when they are banning plastics without an alternative in place?
“The government should bring another option first before they ban nylon bags,” Adetola said.
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