Amid the growing ban of styrofoam and single use plastic in parts of Nigeria due to its severe environmental pollution, Ogun State has been caught in-between.
TITOPE BLOG reports that neighboring Lagos and Oyo states moved to “green” their economies through this ban.
Recall that in January 2024, Lagos State Government caught many by surprise through the announcement of its immediate ban on disposable styrofoam plates and by July, 1, 2025 they began full enforcement, sealing shops and warehouses that still held these items.
Barely a week after Lagos State’s announcement, Abia State in the South-East also banned styrofoam as food containers in the state.
The Commissioner for Environment, Philemon Ogbonna in a statement, urged its residents to stop using styrofoam for food packages until investigations are fully carried out on the products’ dangers to public health.
Following suit, the Oyo State government joined the movement in March 2024, and in February 2026, the House of Assembly introduced a bill, titled Oyo State Single-Use Plastic Prohibition (SUPs) Bill, 2026 which aims to phase out all single-use plastics by 2027.
Why the ban?
Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency explained that these single-use plastics cause harm to its environment, pollute waterways, endangers wildlife, and contributes to long-lasting ecological damage.
“Styrofoam harms our environment and takes centuries to decompose. Hence, LASEPA urges you to protect our ecosystem, explore eco-friendly choices, and be part of the solution. It harms our environment, pollutes our waterways, endangers wildlife, and contributes to long-lasting ecological damage,” the agency stated.
Research has also shown that styrofoam contains styrene and benzene, which has been linked to several health challenges.
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified styrene as a probable human carcinogen, associated with increased risks of leukemia, lymphoma and genetic damage in the white blood cells. Benzene, used in styrene production, is also a known carcinogen linked to leukemia and other blood cancers.
Despite several states citing health risks and environmental damage, Ogun State being at the center of them remains hesitant, giving many distributors room to move their stocks into the state.
This has, however, grown fears that the “Gateway State” is fast becoming a dumping ground for these banned products.
Recycling vs Reality
Unlike its neighbors, Ogun State government during the 2024 World Environment Day themed, “Beating Plastic Solution”, the Commissioner for Environment Ola Oresanya, announced the state’s Plastic for Cash and Blue Box initiatives instead of an outright ban.
The program aimed at reducing plastic waste, incentivising recycling and promoting sustainable environmental practices.
According to the Commissioner, data from the National Bureau of Statistics and UN-Habitat report revealed that Nigeria generates over 35 million metric tonnes of waste annually, with Ogun State accounting for more than 1.6 million metric tonnes of this volume.
Although the state boasts of eight recycling companies processing roughly 2,000 metric tonnes of plastic daily, the scale of the crisis is overwhelming.
“Of the waste generated daily in Nigeria, about 32,000 metric tonnes are plastics. Here in Ogun State, we recycle approximately 2,000 metric tonnes of plastic daily, thanks to the activities of eight notable plastic recycling companies operating within the state.
“The time to act is now.Plastic pollution has grown into a global crisis, and we must adopt decisive, community-driven solutions to stem the tide,” Oresanya asserted.
While the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has praised this “progressive” waste-to-wealth model, critics argue that it fails to address the sheer volume of styrofoam flooding the state.
During a field observation in Abeokuta, our correspondent discovered pouches of a popular kids brand of fruit juice concentrate-based drink manufactured in the heart of Lagos, bearing a startling disclaimer: “NOT FOR LAGOS.”
This stamp indicates that the product is prohibited for sale or distribution within Lagos State, because the pouch carrying an orange coloured straw is a flexible single-use plastic (often falling under the category of materials less than 40 microns or deemed non-recyclable SUPs).
The drink in question, produced on February 2, 2026, with an expiry date of November 1, 2026, proves that it is not an old stock being cleared out, rather it is a fresh product destined specifically for the markets outside Lagos.
At a local food stall in Abeokuta, a resident simply identified as Pelumi represents the average consumer caught in the trap of the single-use plastics.
To her, opting for the N100 fukè fukè (a popular Yoruba street slang for single-use takeaway plate) means cutting her coat according to her clothes, despite knowing it’s bad for her health.
“I always go for it because it’s cheaper,” she explained, clutching a steaming styrofoam pack.
“If I’m buying food for N1,000, will I now buy a takeaway plate of N300? No, now.
“I don’t know if I can stop buying it; something must kill a man,” she remarked smiling.
“We even thank God that we have graduated from buying food in nylon.
“The reason most people don’t even buy this plate is because the food inside can pour away, not because of the effect it will have on the body,” Pelumi said.
Styrofoams are deadly- Professor of polymer chemistry warns
A Professor of polymer chemistry, at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, (FUOYE) Prof. Dosu Malomo warned that the primary component of styrofoam- styrene, is built on a foundation of benzene, one of the most aggressive carcinogens known to science.
“Even in the laboratory, we handle benzene with the same extreme caution as potassium cyanide or ethylene oxide,” Malomo told TITOPE BLOG.
“These chemicals are not allowed to sit loosely on a bench; they are kept in special custody and dispensed with extreme care.
“Yet, today, Nigerians are unknowingly serving hot meals inside these same hazardous materials,” he stated.
The don insisted that the “cheapness” of Styrofoam is a myth when weighed against the cost of cancer treatment, urging Nigerians and the Ogun State government to embrace safer, existing alternatives.
Malomo argued that styrofoam is deadly when it meets heat, disclosing that even the popular habit of microwaving food inside these single-use containers is a recipe for disaster.
“The principle of a microwave is based on high-frequency molecular vibration. When that vibration hits the styrofoam, it effectively vaporizes the material.
“The benzene fumes leach directly into the food. If someone feeds on that for just six months, the bio-accumulation of these ‘deleterious’ toxins begins to trigger carcinogenic changes in the body system.
“There are many plastics that are ‘friendly’ in comparison; materials made from Polypropylene or Polyterephthalate containers are available and far safer. While they are still not biodegradable, they do not possess the deadly heat-reaction that makes styrofoam a silent killer,” he warned further.
He noted that in terms of environmental pollution, just like other plastics, it clogs waterways, constitutes aquatic disturbance to the ecosystem and takes years to decay.
“If you buy moi moi wrapped in a leaf, when you finish eating it, you throw the leaf away, no problem.
“In less than 6 months, the leaf will decay and become manure. But for styrofoam it’s different; they can stay 30-40 years, they will not decay.
“They will only begin to wear away in the form of powder. That is after a long time because of environmental factors such as ultraviolet radiation coming from the sun rays and oxygen and ozone that are present in the air,” he said.
Speaking on the “NOT FOR LAGOS” product, Prof. Malomo maintained that the stamps are a calculated legal shield for producers, saying “the producers in Lagos know exactly what they are doing.
“By law, they cannot sell these in Lagos, so they stamp them to cover themselves. If they are arrested, they can claim they intended the product for other states where the law doesn’t exist yet.”
He described this as a dangerous loophole that requires a holistic, national ban from the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Assembly to protect all Nigerians, not just those in specific states.
No Ban in Sight, Ogun Government Defends Styrofoam’s Safety
The State Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, told our correspondent that the state has no immediate plans to ban Styrofoam, insisting that the material is stable and safe for public use.
Addressing the health fears raised by toxicologists, the Commissioner argued that the danger of Styrofoam has been overstated.
He acknowledged that plastics can release carcinogenic fumes like furans and dioxins, but opined that this only happens under extreme heat.
“No, for now we are not banning the product in Ogun State,” Oresanya stated firmly.
“People are free to use styrofoam and other plastics here in the state. We are more focused on improving our waste management and styrofoam plastics are a component of these waste.
“Styrofoam, if not exposed to heat, is stable; there’s nothing wrong with it. When you heat them and that applies to all plastics not just styrofoam below 1,600 degrees centigrade, they are likely to give furans and dioxins.
“Furan and dioxins are carcinogenic when you heat them under such conditions, but food products are less than 100 degrees in temperature, so they are not dangerous,” the commissioner added.
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