• Inside Innoplas factory during the visit
“The solution to Lagos’ plastic waste challenge is not the blunt force of outright ban,” but the deliberate design of integrated waste collection systems, investment in recycling infrastructure, and circular partnerships between government and industry.”
The Director-General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Segun Ajayi-Kadir, commented when he led a high-level delegation on a fact-finding visit to Innoplas Company Limited, a member of the Lee Group.
Ajayi-Kadir, decried the widespread misunderstanding of the domestic and industrial plastics sector, stressing that its vital contributions to employment, innovation, and inclusive industrial growth are often overlooked.
He highlighted the paradox of developed nations, many of which industrialised through plastic-enabled innovation, now exporting anti-plastic ideologies that risk stifling growth in emerging economies.
He said: ” The tour of Innoplas’ production facility provided the delegation with firsthand insights into the company’s manufacturing processes.
The factory produces a range of High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) bags using a blend of virgin resins, masterbatch additives, and various grades of recycled Polyethylene.
A notable highlight was a high-stretch polythene bag made entirely from 100% recycled plastic waste, demonstrating the potential for circular innovation within Nigeria’s plastics industry.”
He reaffirmed MAN’s commitment to constructive engagement with government, calling for people-centred, business-conscious policies that foster, rather than frustrate, green industrial innovation.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has cleared the air on the ban on single-use plastics from July 1st, 2025, clarifying it will not include PET bottles, water sachets, or nylon bags thicker than 40 microns.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this recently following widespread misinformation suggesting that the ban would affect all types of single-use plastics.
He reaffirmed the enforcement of the ban would begin on July 1, following the expiration of an 18-month moratorium granted after the initial announcement in January 2024.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by the management of Tetra Pak West Africa at his office in Alausa, Ikeja, Wahab explained that the state’s decision was driven by environmental and public health concerns.