By Precious Dipe
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has challenged the Federal Government to move beyond recycling policies on paper and enforce environmental regulations to tackle Nigeria's growing plastic waste crisis.
The monarch warned that indiscriminate disposal of plastic bottles and other waste materials was threatening the environment, blocking drainage channels and undermining efforts to keep communities clean.
He spoke at the official opening of Polysmart Packaging Ltd.'s expanded recycling facility in Ogun State, where he expressed concern over the persistent habit of dumping refuse on roads, in drains and other public spaces.
Oba Ogunwusi, who commended the company for investing in waste recycling and environmental protection, questioned why keeping public spaces clean remained difficult in Nigeria, unlike countries where environmental laws are strictly enforced.
He noted that plastic waste posed a particular challenge because of its slow decomposition rate, warning that improper disposal would continue to worsen environmental pollution and sanitation problems.
The monarch's call comes as Nigeria struggles with the growing volume of plastic waste generated daily, much of which ends up in landfills, drainage systems, waterways and the ocean.
Speaking at the event, Chief Executive Officer of Polysmart Packaging Ltd., Wasiu Balogun, said the company's newly expanded $60 million facility would significantly increase the country's capacity to recycle plastic waste.
Balogun said the company began operations in 2013 with an initial capital of N2 million but had since expanded to meet growing demand for plastic waste recycling.
He said the company would work with relevant regulatory agencies to improve plastic waste management and support manufacturers in complying with environmental regulations.
As part of efforts to strengthen collection, Balogun disclosed plans to establish a network of collection agents across Nigeria's 774 local government areas, creating a wider system for recovering discarded plastic materials.
According to him, the facility would process 100,000 tonnes of mixed plastics annually at full capacity, equivalent to approximately 6.5 billion PET bottles or 15 million bottles daily.
He said the investment would help divert millions of discarded bottles from landfills, prevent open burning and reduce the volume of plastic waste washed into the Atlantic Ocean.
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Polysmart Packaging Ltd., Niyi Yusuf, described the facility as a major investment in Nigeria's industrial and environmental future, saying it demonstrated confidence in the country's manufacturing sector.
Yusuf described the plant as Africa's largest food-grade recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) facility, adding that its operations could position Nigeria as a major recycling hub in West Africa.
He said improving Nigeria's recycling system would require more than private sector investment, stressing the need to strengthen extended producer responsibility policies and develop the infrastructure required to collect, sort and process waste.
Citing Germany, South Korea and the Netherlands as examples, Yusuf said Nigeria could draw lessons from countries that have developed more effective recycling systems through stronger producer responsibility frameworks and sustained investment in waste management infrastructure.
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