The streets of Lagos State were cleared of styrofoam and single-use plastics as the government intensified its efforts to enforce the ban on such items. Officials were seen removing the prohibited materials from markets, shops, and street corners across the city, and warned that anyone found in possession of the banned items would face stiff penalties.
The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources in Lagos State, Tokunbo Wahab, announced on Friday that the government had intensified its efforts to clear the state of styrofoam and single-use plastics. Wahab said in a statement on X that officials had been working diligently to remove these materials from markets, shops, and street corners across the city.
He wrote, “Officials from the enforcement agencies under the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, on Thursday, intensified the mopping up of banned styrofoam food containers across markets in the state. #ZeroTolerance #CleanerLagos#”
In January of this year, the Lagos State Government announced a ban on the use and distribution of styrofoam and other single-use plastics, in an effort to reduce the amount of plastic waste in the city. The government cited the harmful environmental impact of these materials as the primary reason for the ban.
Styrofoam users were given a three-week grace period to stop using them.
