The Lagos State Government has announced a ban on the usage and distribution of Styrofoam and other single-use plastics, also called ‘takeaways’, with immediate effect.

The decision was reached following the menace which the single-use plastics were causing on the environment.

The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this in a statement he personally signed and published on X.

The commissioner lament that most drainage channels across the state were daily clogged up by Styrofoam, despite the regular cleaning.

Wahab said the state government could not fold its arms and watch the continued desecration of its environment.

He wrote: “Following the menace which single-use plastics especially non-biodegradable Styrofoam are causing on the environment, the Lagos State government through the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources is hereby announcing a ban on the usage and distribution of Styrofoam and other single-use plastics in the State with immediate effect.

“Our state cannot be held hostage to the economic interests of a few wealthy business owners, compared to the millions of Lagosians suffering the consequences of indiscriminate dumping of single use plastics and other types of waste.

The convenience of single use plastic comes at a huge cost to the society. We must all make small sacrifices for our collective well-being,” he added.