• Firm seeks national recycling policy to unlock youths’ opportunities
• Awards N500,000 each to recyclers

Policymakers and development stakeholders have expressed support for efforts to reposition plastic waste as a source of economic value in Nigeria.

The endorsement aligns with a growing push to turn environmental challenges into opportunities for innovation, as young entrepreneurs in Abuja presented digital and technology-driven solutions to plastic pollution.

They made the appeal during the Top 10 final presentation of the Digital Peers International (DPI) and SGP Nigeria Innovation Challenge, where youth teams showcased prototypes focused on recycling systems, behavioural change, and circular economy models.

The programme, themed “Deploying the Power of IT-Engaged Youths in Effective Plastic Use and Plastic Waste Management 2.0,” brought together government officials, innovation experts, and environmental stakeholders to assess youth-led approaches to plastic management.

Speaking at the event, Director of Special Duties at the Sheda Science and Technology Complex (SHESTCO), under the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Edith Yohanna Ishidi, while speaking at the event, said youths’ involvement is critical to solving environmental problems sustainably.

She urged participants to prioritise innovation over credentials, stressing that solutions must address real-world needs rather than academic achievement alone.

Ishidi also pointed to waste-to-energy solutions as a viable pathway for plastic management, but noted that high capital requirements necessitate government support for scaling.

Project Chairman of DPI/SGP 2.0 and Managing Director of Pearls Learning Hub, Adeolu Odusote, said that the initiative was designed to move participants from ideas to implementation through structured mentorship and continuous evaluation.

He said 400 youths were grouped into 100 teams and taken through multiple stages of assessment to improve their solutions.

Also, from a regulatory perspective, Director of Waste Management at the Nasarawa State Waste Management and Sanitation Authority (NASWAMSA), Ishaq Abubakar-Ibrahim, described plastic waste as an underutilised economic resource with significant potential.

He called for stronger collaboration between government agencies and private investors to expand recycling infrastructure and unlock value in the sector.

Meanwhile, a firm, Polysmart Packaging Limited, has called for the establishment of a national recycling policy and intensified awareness to drive more Nigerians, especially youths, into the recycling business.

The firm gave the advice during its capacity development seminar, hosted recently in Lagos, in collaboration with Switch Recycling Innovations Limited and the Lagos State Recyclers Association.

Group Head, Quality Assurance & Control, Polysmart Group, Ernest Ubasineke, said that many plastics are being disposed of indiscriminately and called for a national framework to guide plastic collection.

Also, Special Adviser on One Health to the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, who also doubles as an environmental sustainability expert and waste management professional, Femi Idowu-Adegoke, said that the recycling industry is already a multi-billion-dollar sector with limited awareness and needs to be better structured.

On his part, Country Manager for Eco-Cycle Plastic, a recycling company based in Lagos State, Taiwo Adewole, noted that a lot of credit should be given to those who are at the bottom of the pyramid in the industry.

Similarly, Group Managing Director (GMD) of Polysmart Packaging, Wasiu Balogun, spoke on how Polysmart is positioning itself to drive innovation and growth within Nigeria’s recycling industry?

He said that the firm would continue to evolve with new innovations as pioneer in the industry.

Meanwhile, the seminar awarded N500,000 each for recyclers, including Orowole Ogunbayo, Bello Khairat, Amusa Basirat Opeyemi Jewel Jesani to support their recycling business.