The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency has rejected the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN)’s request to suspend the National Environmental Plastic Waste Control Regulations, 2026, saying the law is already gazetted and provides sufficient room for phased implementation.
The Director-General of the agency, Prof. Innocent Barikor on Monday, stated this in a statement, after MAN expressed concerns that the regulations would shut down industries, undermine investment and impose abrupt burdens on manufacturers.
NESREA, however, said such suspension would create regulatory uncertainty, delay investment decisions and weaken producer accountability at a time when recyclers, development partners and businesses are already preparing for compliance.
The agency said the main misunderstanding relates to Regulation 26.
It explained that the 80-micron provision applies only to certain plastic bags made from plastic film and does not amount to a blanket prohibition on all plastic packaging or all single-use plastics across food, beverage, pharmaceutical, agriculture, logistics or manufacturing.
The Regulations, it added, make clear distinctions between carrier bags, other packaging, PET containers, recyclable materials and waste management activities.
NESREA also addressed fears of immediate disruption.
It said the Regulations contain phased compliance requirements and transition windows.
“The minimum recycled PET content requirement, for instance, begins at 25 percent from 1 January 2028 and increases to 50 percent from 1 January 2030, giving manufacturers, recyclers and brand owners time to plan investments, upgrade systems and develop local supply chains.
“Requirements on producer responsibility, reporting, traceability, eco-labelling and recovery will be rolled out progressively,” the statement said.
On jobs and investment, the Agency argued that the greater risk is continued unmanaged plastic pollution, weak recovery systems, blocked drainage, marine litter and rising environmental liabilities.
It said the Regulations are designed to create new opportunities in collection, sorting, recycling, recycled-content production, packaging innovation and compliance services.
The law also mandates that recycled PET used for compliance be sourced locally from certified food-grade producers, a provision NESREA said will grow domestic capacity and reduce dependence on imports.
NESREA described the Regulations as an implementation instrument for the National Policy on Plastic Waste Management and the national plastics roadmap, not a departure from them.
It said it remains open to receiving detailed technical submissions from MAN and other stakeholders on sector realities, investment needs, local recycling capacity and transition support, but maintained that collaborative implementation is the appropriate way forward.
(The Whistler)
