NATIONAL POLICY ON PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT
Policy · Environment
A Policy manages plastic waste in Nigeria by promoting recycling and reducing single-use plastics through sustainable practices. It targets households, businesses, industries, and local governments to adopt circular economy principles. This aims to create cleaner cities and reduce environmental pollution.
What Is This Policy?
The NPPWM is Nigeria’s strategic framework for managing plastic waste sustainably, focusing on reducing single-use plastics, promoting recycling, and integrating circular economy principles. It aims to make Nigerian cities and ecosystems clean, plastic-litter free, and sustainable.
Who Does It Target?
The policy is directed at households, businesses, and industries, requiring them to adopt sustainable plastic use and disposal practices. It targets local governments, responsible for waste collection, and manufacturers, who must adopt extended producer responsibility.
What Does It Aim to Achieve?
The central objective is to reduce plastic pollution and promote sustainable alternatives. It seeks to phase out single-use plastics, strengthen recycling industries, and integrate informal waste collectors into formal systems.
Key Features
• Ban on single-use plastics (progressive phase-out). • Mandatory plastic waste sorting at source. • Promotion of recycling industries and waste-to-wealth initiatives. • Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): manufacturers accountable for plastic lifecycle. • Integration of informal waste pickers into formal systems. • Public-private partnerships for recycling infrastructure.
Current Status
Rollout Stage: active Coverage: applies nationwide Funding: federal government allocations and donor support
How to Access
Official gazette Legal & tax advisory Firm National assembly website: The consolidated text of the Act is available under the “Laws of the Federation” section.
Important Terms
Term 1-Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): A principle requiring manufacturers to take responsibility for the environmental impact of their products throughout their lifecycle. Term 2- Informal Waste Sector: Individuals (often scavengers) who collect and recycle plastics outside formal systems; the policy seeks to integrate them.
Official Resources
Federal Ministry of Environment: https://environment.gov.ng (environment.gov.ng in Bing) Headquarters: Abuja. Email: [email protected] Phone: +234 (0)9 234 0940 National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA): https://nesrea.gov.ng Oversees enforcement of plastic waste regulations. Link to document- Link to document
Legal Framework
Operates under the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency Act 2007, the Environmental Impact Assessment Act 1992, the Solid Waste Management Regulations, and the Customs and Excise Management Act. Draws on the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes, the UN Environment Assembly resolution on plastic pollution, and the Stockholm Convention.