One of the most pressing environmental challenges in current times is to address the menace of plastic pollution. According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), plastic pollution is a global problem. Every year 19-23 million tonnes of plastic waste leaks into aquatic ecosystems, polluting lakes, rivers and seas. Nigeria, with its rapidly growing population and increasing urbanisation, faces a particularly challenging situation. According to the World Bank, Nigeria generates about 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, with up to 70% of it mismanaged. This also makes Nigeria among top plastic polluters in Africa.
Nigerian authorities are cognizant of this problem and have taken a series of measures to address the same. The launch of the National Policy on Plastic Waste Management (NPPWM) in 2021 was the first major initiative aimed at combating plastic pollution. The policy outlines several key objectives aimed at tackling the growing problem of plastic waste in Nigeria. One of its primary goals is to improve waste management by promoting efficient systems for the collection, sorting, and recycling of plastic materials. In doing so, the policy also aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with plastic production and disposal, thereby contributing to the fight against climate change. A major focus of the NPPWM is limiting the use of single-use plastics (SUPs), such as plastic bags, bottles, and packaging, which pose significant environmental risks. To address this, the policy encourages the adoption of sustainable alternatives and enhanced management practices. Furthermore, the NPPWM promotes circularity in the plastic value chain by advocating for a lifecycle approach in which plastics are reused and recycled rather than discarded, ultimately reducing dependence on new plastic production and fostering a more sustainable and resource-efficient system. In 2024, the Lagos state government, Nigeria’s commercial capital, announced a phased ban on single-use plastics, with full implementation slated for July 1, 2025.
On June 5, 2025, also celebrated as the World Environment Strategy, Malam Balarabe Lawal, Minister of Environment, reiterated the commitment of Nigeria to curb plastic pollution. The Minister highlighted the significance of the NPPWM which is designed to curb plastic usage, boost recycling efforts, and foster innovation in sustainable alternatives to single-use plastics. The minister declared, “In line with the Renewed Hope Agenda, we have taken decisive steps to address plastic pollution at all levels by developing and implementing a National Policy on Plastic Waste Management, which provides a strategic framework for reducing plastic use, promoting recycling, and alternatives to single-use plastics. Lawal said, “We are also supporting innovative circular economy models to drive recycling and promote plastic alternatives, especially across government ministries, departments, and agencies.”
Another measure taken by the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Environment is the launch of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Programme, which mandates producers to manage the entire lifecycle of their plastic products, from production to disposal. Nigeria’s new EPR will make companies part of the solution to addressing this pollution, not only municipalities. The regulations would require companies that produce, import, distribute and sell plastic packaging to fund what are known as producer responsibility organizations. These non-profit entities would then be tasked with reining in pollution from packaging, which is the source of 63 per cent of all plastic waste in the country. Innocent Barikor, Director General of Nigeria’s National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, remarks: “Extended producer responsibility as a strategy shifts the responsibility of waste management to the producers, adopting the polluter pays principle.” The development of guidelines for the implementation of EPR in Nigeria have also been supported by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).
Nigeria is poised to introduce a series of regulations – developed with support from the UNEP– that will make companies that produce and use plastic packaging responsible for countering plastic pollution.
