Seeks effective recycling policies to tackle plastic waste

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has called for the enforcement of a stronger regulatory framework for recycling policies to tackle plastic pollution, stressing the need for a coordinated national approach to waste management and environmental sanitation.

The monarch made the call during the official opening of Polysmart Packaging Ltd., a Nigerian-owned recycling company, where he commended the firm for its contribution to environmental sustainability, recycling and industrial development.

He lamented that the widespread, indiscriminate disposal of plastic bottles and other non-biodegradable materials on roads and in drainage systems poses a serious threat to environmental cleanliness and sustainable development.

Oba Ogunwusi, while expressing concern over the poor handling of plastic waste across the country, questioned why Nigerians could not maintain a cleaner environment, drawing comparisons with countries where environmental regulations are strictly enforced.

He stressed that plastic pollution was a major environmental challenge because discarded plastics were difficult to degrade, warning that indiscriminate disposal could continue to undermine sanitation efforts and damage the environment.

Earlier, in his welcome address, the Chief Executive Officer, Polysmart Packaging Ltd., Wasiu Balogun, said the company’s newly expanded $60 million facility would strengthen plastic waste recycling in Nigeria and support the country’s transition to a green economy.

He said the company had grown from a modest beginning in 2013, when it started with an initial capital of N2 million, to establish a facility designed to significantly increase plastic waste recovery and recycling.

Balogun, however, reaffirmed the firm’s commitment to responsible plastic waste management, saying that the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency’s (NESREA) National Guidelines on Extended Producer Responsibility and the National Environmental (Plastic Waste Control) Regulation 2026 would enable the company to track plastic waste and support brand owners in demonstrating regulatory compliance.

He said Polysmart Packaging planned to establish a network of collection agents across Nigeria’s 774 local councils to improve the collection and recovery of plastic waste, adding that the facility, when operating at full capacity, would process 100,000 tonnes of mixed plastics yearly, equivalent to approximately 6.5 billion PET bottles, or 15 million bottles daily.

The initiative, he noted, would help prevent millions of plastic bottles from ending up in landfills, being burned, or entering the Atlantic Ocean, thereby reducing environmental pollution.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of Polysmart Packaging Ltd, Niyi Yusuf, said the facility signalled confidence in Nigeria’s industrial sector.

He described it as Africa’s largest food-grade recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) plant, saying it would position Nigeria as a recycling hub for West Africa.

Yusuf, citing Germany, South Korea and The Netherlands as examples, said Nigeria could achieve higher recycling rates through stronger producer responsibility systems and sustained investment in infrastructure.