The Federal Government has unveiled the National Environmental Plastic Waste Control Regulations 2026.
Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, said the new framework seeks to move the country from the traditional “produce, use and dispose” model towards a circular economy, where plastic waste is recovered, recycled and reused.
Plastic waste is a growing environmental menace in Nigeria.
It litters streets, blocks drainages and waterways, with serious consequences for the environment and public health.
Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Salihu Usman, said the new regulation seeks to move the country from a linear plastic economy, based on production, consumption and disposal, to a circular system where plastic waste is recovered, recycled and reused as a resource.
Speaking at the unveiling, the Director-General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, Professor Innocent Barikor, said the regulation marks a shift from policy intention to practical action in tackling plastic pollution.
For the Federal Government, the goal is clear: less plastic pollution, greater producer responsibility and a more sustainable circular economy.
(Follow AIT News on WhatsApp, AfricaIndependentTV on YouTube, ait_online on Facebook and X (Formerly Twitter), and officialait on TikTok, Instagram and Threads)
Editor: Ada Ononye
