Nigeria’s Lagos Battles Plastic Waste as Ban Faces Weak Enforcement

Nigeria’s Lagos Battles Plastic Waste as Ban Faces Weak Enforcement
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A recent ban on single-use plastics in Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city, is facing significant challenges due to weak enforcement and a lack of viable alternatives, according to reports from Africanews. The ban, which went into effect on July 1, targets items like styrofoam packs, plastic cutlery, plates, and straws.

Despite the legislation, many residents and businesses continue to use the banned items, and some shops still openly display them on their shelves. This highlights the difficulty of implementing such bans, even as a global treaty on plastic pollution is being negotiated in Geneva.

Lagos generates an estimated 2,500 tons of plastic waste daily, and much of it ends up in waterways, contributing to blocked canals, polluted beaches, and devastating floods. Sustainability groups in the city are working to manage the pollution and are calling for a change in public behavior, emphasizing the importance of sorting waste and holding manufacturers accountable for creating easily recyclable products.