The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency LASEPA in a move to protect the environment and encourage eco-friendly products bans all single-use plastics within its premises from Monday, 13th January 2020 while advocating for suitable and multiple-use alternatives to prevent pollutions and avoid disposal problems.
This was made known by the General Manager of the agency, Dr. Dolapo Fasawe in a statement released on Wednesday at her office at Alausa, Ikeja.
“As the Environmental police of the state, LASEPA should set a good record for others to emulate, hence the reason why we are using our facilities as a pilot scheme to drive home our Zero plastic waste campaign and its attendant effects on human health and the environment.
This move would later be extended for wider implementation in all government premises and the state as a whole” She stated.
To achieve the objective of the campaign, all staff and visitors to LASEPA premises are enjoined to support and comply with this holistic directive, just as the agency will be providing multiple-use cloth bags to all staff within the first week of implementation to substitute old unfriendly materials, after which same bags can be purchased at the Agency reception at a minimal fee.
According to her, single-use plastics represent the epitome of a throwaway culture that ends up in landfills, oceans, waterways and the environment which causes environmental and health hazards.
She also explained that replacements such as cloth ( cotton ) or reusable bags, paper bags, etc can be used several times and naturally decomposes in the environment and also guide against dirtiness, flooding, drainage blockade, soil, and water contamination.
The General Manager thereby called for societal change against the use of single-use materials and charged corporate organizations, companies and industries to embrace the new holistic approach by using recyclable and reusable materials that are cost-effective, environmentally friendly and devoid of environmental nuisances and pollution.
This pilot scheme according to Fasawe would serve as a blueprint and guide towards government policy thrust on a total ban on single-use plastic and further help in securing the environment and leave a better legacy for future generations.