The Federal Government has unveiled the National Environmental (Plastic Waste Control) Regulations, 2026, as part of a renewed effort to tackle plastic pollution and promote sustainable environmental management across Nigeria.
The regulations were unveiled in Abuja by the Minister of Environment, Mallam Balarabe Abbas Lawal, during an event that also featured a Stakeholder Implementation Dialogue and the inaugural Multi-Stakeholder Roundtable on “Less Plastic in Water.”
The gathering brought together stakeholders across the plastics value chain and environmental sector to deliberate on effective strategies for implementing the new regulations.
Delivering the keynote address through the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Salihu Aminu Usman, the minister said the regulations establish a comprehensive and enforceable framework for managing plastics throughout their life cycle.
Lawal said the new framework was designed to shift responsibility for plastic waste management from being viewed as the sole responsibility of government to a shared obligation among producers, importers, distributors, consumers and recyclers.
“Today, we are drawing a line. A line between a Nigeria where plastic waste is treated as somebody else’s problem and a Nigeria where every actor in the plastics value chain accepts responsibility for what they produce, import, sell, use or discard,” the minister said.
He described the regulations as not merely an environmental initiative but also an economic and employment intervention capable of contributing to national development.
“These Regulations are not just an environmental project. They are an economic project, a jobs project, and a nation-building project. The unveiling is the easy part. Implementation is where history will judge us,” he said.
The minister called on manufacturers and other players in the plastics industry to prioritise recyclable product designs, while urging consumers to adopt more responsible consumption practices.
He also encouraged recyclers to invest in their operations and expand their capacity in support of the government’s environmental objectives.
Lawal said the initiative was aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for a cleaner, healthier and more prosperous Nigeria.
Also speaking at the event, the Director-General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Prof. Innocent Barikor, stressed that effective implementation of the regulations would require sustained collaboration among government agencies, businesses, civil society, consumers and other stakeholders.
Barikor said the stakeholder dialogue and the inaugural multi-stakeholder roundtable on the Plastic Reboot Nigeria Project were convened to help translate the new regulatory framework into practical action.
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He said the success of the regulations should not be judged by the number of provisions contained in the Gazette, but by their measurable impact on communities and the environment.
“The success of the Regulations will ultimately not be measured by the number of provisions in the Gazette, but by what changes on the ground: less plastic entering our waterways and communities, more materials being recovered and returned to productive use, greater producer responsibility, stronger recycling markets and more sustainable alternatives to avoidable single-use plastics,” Barikor said.
The Federal Government’s latest initiative comes amid growing concerns over plastic pollution, particularly its impact on waterways, communities and ecosystems.
The regulations are expected to provide a stronger institutional and regulatory basis for reducing plastic waste generation, improving recovery and recycling, and promoting greater responsibility among stakeholders across the plastics value chain.
