The General Manager of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, Dr Babatunde Ajayi, talks to VICTOR AYENI about the recent ban on styrofoam in the state and the agency’s plans to tackle pollution across the state
Last week, the Lagos State Government announced a ban on the distribution and use of polystyrene (styrofoam) and other single-use plastics in the state. What triggered this ban?
The trigger is the quantum of environmental degradation that you get from styrofoam. In the first place, everywhere you turn in Lagos the drains are blocked by styrofoam plates, and because the drains are blocked, even when it doesn’t rain, water spills on the roads.
Because the road is constantly wet, when a heavy-duty truck passes on it, it erodes very quickly, so the road is damaged. Because the road is damaged, you then have vehicular damage. If you live in areas where the road is bad, vehicles wear or tear faster. Now that also predisposes you to accidents and all kinds of things.
So it is something that starts but it is the beginning of a very long chain. If you take out styrofoam from the volume of waste that we collect in Lagos, it reduces it by a significant 50 per cent, and it just makes sense to stop it. It is better to terminate that chain or cut it off at that point so that, at least, it would reduce or take off that entire chain. There are several other health consequences but the environmental consequences are not palatable.
There have been concerns raised about how the sudden ban on styrofoam and single-use plastics would negatively impact businesses and livelihoods that depend on the value chain. Were there considerations made regarding this?
Yes, there were considerations. To tell you that we are oblivious to this would be a lie; we have done proper engagements with them (stakeholders) and we have agreed with them on timelines and certain conditions for which we will be enforcing the ban. So, all of these people are aware.
We also know that people use reusable plastics in their houses and there are so many restaurants that have always complied with the use of reusable plastics. When they sell food to you with this kind of plastic you won’t even want to throw it away; you will wash it and keep it and use it again and again. That is what we preach. We are aware of the business consequences and we are making deliberate efforts to make sure that it does not affect them as much.
There were claims that stakeholders were not carried along before the ban was announced. Is this true?
No, that is untrue. We had several engagements and went on advocacy visits to stakeholders and people who currently sell, manufacture, and import these things. The agreement is that there was a time when we didn’t have styrofoam and people had many other ways of taking their food.
When styrofoam came into the market, we sort of adjusted. Now that several other places around the world have decided styrofoam is not fit to be used as a food packaging material, then I think it’s high time Lagos followed suit.
Styrofoam is an aberration, not the norm; even the people who manufacture it in other countries don’t use it in those countries. They just manufacture for the Lagos market and we realised that once you take the Lagos market out of it, the rest of Nigeria would naturally just begin to comply.
How much has the state government lost to the environmental impact of the use of styrofoam?
I would say the loss is enormous. I can’t specifically put a figure, but the amount of money would range from the impact on road networks to the impact on drainage and drainage canals. Lagos spends so much money clearing drainages every year. Imagine all of the major channels in Lagos you have to clear the canals every year, sometimes twice a year.
When you are clearing canals twice a year, half of it is blocked with styrofoam, so there’s a huge amount of money going into that. Now, there are health consequences. Because you have styrofoam, those plates will always keep some water there will be mosquitoes and consequently, there will be malaria. There is also cholera and all of those things.
So, the impact is not just on work, it is also on the environment and health, and it also results in flooding in many areas. People at risk, including children have been carried away by the flood and all of this is purely because blocked drainages have an impact.
How impactful would the ban be on the cost of clearing the canals?
The extensive amount that the government has to put into clearing canals twice a year because of styrofoam can be cut short by banning or stopping its use. Also, we realised that with the kind of trading that goes on with styrofoam, the amount of money that the traders would make can be nothing compared to the volume of money that the government would have to cough up to mop up the damage.
Has the state government recommended specific alternatives to styrofoam for restaurants and food hawkers?
It just makes sense for us to utilise other sustainable methods. People can now create paper packs, leaves, and other alternatives that we may not have considered. We have recommended several of them. I know that in our communication we have said that you can use paper packs. We can use reusable plastics. Restaurants can serve food on glass plates which will reduce how much styrofoam they will have to use. And I think these are just basically global practices and I think Lagos should not be left behind.
If we are ranking higher than many cities in the world, we might as well do things that they are doing. We might as well comply with the expected environmental terms. It is instructive to note that the amount of money the government plunges into mopping up the flooding in various parts of the state probably contributes to the quality of life of people.
The fact that you live around drainages, even first of all, puts you at risk of flooding. I mean, it shouldn’t be. So, let us reduce this waste and reuse our plastic. Then by the time you use and reuse plastic for a long time enough we will recycle. So, let us get sustainable.
Is there a penalty for defaulters, particularly those who insist on using styrofoam?
Unfortunately, I don’t think that there is a likelihood that anybody will insist because it will be enforced. If it was purely advocacy, then people can insist on using styrofoam, but because there will be enforcement then there will not be anybody that would fault. Of course, there will be consequences.
What are the core strategies that have been mapped out by LASEPA to tackle environmental challenges in the state?
First of all, we have increased our advocacy; people now know more about LASEPA. We have also doubled up on enforcement of environmental infractions. So people know that we can’t just continue the usual way. We have done a lot of engagements with both religious organisations and the entertainment industry, particularly around the Yuletide period. We have doubled up on our penetration in terms of reaching people at the grassroots, along with other things.
Just a few days ago, we agreed with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria on water pollution, so we are doing a lot on water pollution. We have started our agenda on water pollution. We have also made it clear that the air quality of Lagos must be easily accessible data and we have put that out there. That has triggered conversations about reducing environmental pollution around us with emissions from generators and even cooking methods.
I think that we have got started with our agenda, and we have created a roadmap. We know where we are going and we have very strong things we have started and by the time we launch them, you will see them in bold prints.
For some months now, many clubs, churches, mosques, and recreational centres in the state have been reportedly shut down for noise pollution. Do you have a specific number of those sealed?
We have shut down 148 of such places. And when we shut them down, reopening them requires a long process. They have to give us a work plan on how they reduce their noise levels. We sometimes confiscate some of their speakers and some of their sound instruments. They reduce their opening hours particularly when they are in residential areas, to make sure that they cannot open at the time when people are sleeping. So, 148 is decent within a few months and it is quite a stretch from back-to-back.
