Lagos confiscates banned plastics worth N5m amid crackdown on pollution
By Adeola Ogunrinde
The Lagos State Government has intensified enforcement of the ban on Styrofoam and other single-use plastics, confiscating banned products worth about N5 million from warehouses and shopping malls across the state.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this during the 2026 Ministerial Press Briefing held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre in Alausa.
According to Wahab, the enforcement drive forms part of the administration’s commitment to environmental protection and reduction of plastic pollution across the state through stricter regulatory measures and recycling initiatives.
According to him, the ministry sustained its clampdown on the distribution, sale, and use of banned Styrofoam products and other single-use plastics in line with the environmental policies of the state government.
“The ministry continued to enforce the total ban on the distribution, sales and usage of Styrofoam with the confiscation of about N5 million worth of banned Styrofoam and single-use plastics from warehouses and malls,” he said.
The commissioner added that the state’s recycling and waste recovery initiatives had continued to yield positive results, with thousands of kilogrammes of plastic waste removed from the environment to improve waste management and environmental sustainability.
He disclosed that the ministry removed 137,530.94 kilogrammes of PET plastics from the environment in 2025, while recycling programmes and collection centres also recorded significant improvements in waste recovery efforts.
Wahab further revealed that the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, intensified environmental monitoring and pollution control measures across the state. According to him, the agency completed 114 installations of air quality sensors and rehabilitated air pollution abatement facilities to strengthen air quality management in Lagos. He reiterated that the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu would continue enforcing the ban on harmful plastic materials while promoting cleaner and safer environmental practices.
