Nigeria’s lawmakers propose green tax on polypropylene to tackle plastic pollution

NIGERIA – The House of Representatives is proposing a green tax on manufacturers of polypropylene, a key raw material used in plastic production, as part of efforts to curb Nigeria’s escalating plastic pollution crisis.

The proposal, led by the Ad-hoc Committee on Preparedness for the Single-Use Plastics Ban, aims to make producers more accountable for the environmental costs of their operations while encouraging investment in recycling and sustainable packaging. 

Committee chairman Hon. Terseer Ugbor, speaking during the committee’s inaugural session in Abuja, warned that unchecked production and disposal of polypropylene-based products were worsening the country’s waste management challenges.

“Polypropylene’s environmental impact is substantial and disturbing. It emits toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde and benzene during production and remains non-biodegradable for hundreds of years, polluting waterways and harming marine life,” he said. 

Ugbor added that the committee will collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Environment and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) to design a framework for the proposed levy and integrate polypropylene recycling into the national waste management system.

The committee also plans to hold public hearings with manufacturers, recyclers, and environmental experts to ensure that any policy is effective and fair. 

“This is not about taxation,” Ugbor clarified. “It is about responsibility, sustainability, and protecting the future of our environment and our people.” 

Nigeria ranks among the world’s top 20 contributors to marine plastic pollution, generating over 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, according to the World Bank and UNEP.

Less than 10 percent of that waste is recycled, and cities like Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt suffer from flooding and water contamination due to clogged drainage systems. 

The proposed green tax aligns with similar initiatives in other countries aimed at reducing plastic waste. Kenya, for instance, introduced extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations in 2022, mandating producers to finance recycling and recovery schemes for plastic packaging.

In Europe, the EU implemented a “plastic levy” on non-recycled plastic waste in 2021, pushing industries to switch to recyclable materials. 

In the private sector, companies such as Dow and Indorama have launched closed-loop initiatives in Nigeria, partnering with recyclers to recover and reuse polypropylene packaging.

These developments reflect a growing shift toward a circular plastics economy, in which producers, consumers, and regulators share responsibility for a cleaner environment.

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