Oyo Assembly pushes for ban on styrofoam use by residents

The Oyo State House of Assembly has advocated the ban on the use of styrofoam in the state.

The Assembly premised its call for a ban on its usage on research that using styrofoam for food packaging accounts for health issues like kidney failure, liver failure, and brain damage.

This was contained in a motion presented at Thursday’s plenary of the Assembly by Hon Adebayo Babajide (Ibadan North 2 constituency) and Honourable Sanjo Adedoyin (Ogbomoso South).

The lawmakers argued further that styrofoam was also harmful as it takes hundreds of years before it degrades in the soil just as it is harmful to farming and to microorganisms.

The motion argued that the use of styrofoam as a food packaging container and for other domestic usage is hazardous to human health and dangerous to the environment.

Also held was that styrofoam, a non-biodegradable plastic, widely in food service for takeout and delivery was being substituted for reusable plastic containers.

Due to its non-biodegradable nature, the motion added that styrofoam blocked drainages and polluted the environment.

The Assembly pointed to the ban on styrofoam in Lagos, Abia and other developed countries as a development that the state should take a cue from as it is hazardous to both the environment and human beings.

Ruling on the motion, Speaker of the state Assembly, Honourable Adebo Ogundoyin tasked the state executive council to put necessary machinery in motion for a total ban on styrofoam in the state.

This is as he tasked the state Ministry of Information and Civic Orientation and other information dissemination organs to begin sensitisation on the danger of continued use of styrofoam.

In another motion by Honourable Adebayo Babajide, the Assembly urged the state Emergency Management Agency (OYSEMA) and Chairman, Ibadan North Local Government to give succour to victims of the recent fire incident at Sango market.

While calling for the provision of immediate palliatives to the victims, the Assembly also noted the need to sensitise the people of the state on measures to avert fire incidences.