The Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA) has recovered 3,000.92kg of recyclable materials across Lagos and Oyo states to mark World Cleanup Day 2026, engaging 419 participants in community cleanup, recycling awareness and buyback initiatives.

The activities combined on-the-ground waste recovery with public sensitisation, stakeholder engagement and economic incentives to promote responsible waste disposal and strengthen Nigeria’s recycling value chain.

In Ikorodu, Lagos State, FBRA recovered 2,226kg of recyclable materials and brought together 301 participants for a community-based cleanup and recovery exercise in Agbele.

The initiative was organised in collaboration with the Let’s Do It Nigeria team, the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), environmental organisations, street sweepers, government representatives, Zyntomax, FBRA’s collection partner in Ikorodu, and member companies of the alliance.

Participants embarked on an awareness walk through the community, collecting waste and recyclable materials along the route while sensitising residents to proper waste disposal and the importance of recovering materials for recycling.

The exercise also featured a community buyback programme that allowed residents to exchange recyclable materials for product incentives, helping to channel recovered materials into the formal recycling chain. Zyntomax supported the collection and recovery of materials gathered during the exercise.

In Ibadan, Oyo State, FBRA recovered an additional 774.48kg of recyclable materials and engaged 118 participants through its sponsorship of a recyclables buyback scheme at the Oyo Waste Summit 3.0.

Beyond the recovery exercise, the alliance contributed to policy and industry discussions on sustainable waste management.

Its Executive Director, Agharese Onaghise, presented a paper on Extended Producer Responsibility for the Packaging Industry in Nigeria.

FBRA also hosted a panel session featuring six of its member companies, which discussed industry innovations in managing post-consumer packaging materials across different waste streams.

By supporting the buyback scheme alongside its participation in the summit, the alliance connected conversations about sustainable waste management with practical efforts to recover recyclable materials.

Commenting on the World Cleanup Day activities, Onaghise said FBRA remained committed to developing systems that would make it easier for communities to recover recyclable materials and connect them to the recycling value chain.

“For the sustainability of this cleanup initiative, FBRA is working on launching a recyclables collection centre within the Ikorodu community,” she said.

She noted that accessible collection facilities could encourage behavioural change by providing residents with convenient locations to deposit recyclable materials rather than dispose of them indiscriminately.