By Ruth Eke
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has called on the federal government to strengthen the enforcement of recycling policies towards addressing the growing problem of plastic waste in the country.
The monarch, who made the call during the official opening of Polysmart Packaging Ltd., a Nigerian-owned recycling company in Ogun State,
expressed concern over the dumping of plastic bottles and other waste materials on roads and drainage systems, saying the practice posed a threat to the environment.
Oba Ogunwusi who praised the company for its investment in waste recycling and environmental protection
wondered why Nigerians found it difficult to keep their surroundings clean, unlike in countries where environmental laws are strictly enforced.
He noted that plastic waste was particularly difficult to manage because it takes a long time to decompose, adding that improper disposal would continue to affect environmental sanitation.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer of Polysmart Packaging Ltd., Wasiu Balogun, said the company’s newly expanded $60 million facility would help increase plastic waste recycling in Nigeria.
Balogun said the company started in 2013 with an initial capital of N2 million and had since grown its operations to accommodate the increasing demand for plastic waste recycling.
He said the company would work with relevant regulatory agencies to ensure proper plastic waste management and help manufacturers comply with environmental regulations.
According to him, plans were on to establish a network of collection agents across the 774 local government areas in Nigeria to improve the collection of plastic waste.
Balogun said the facility would process 100,000 tonnes of mixed plastics annually when it reaches full capacity. This, he said, is equivalent to about 6.5 billion PET bottles or 15 million bottles daily.
He added that the initiative would help reduce the number of plastic bottles dumped in landfills, burnt or washed into the Atlantic Ocean.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Polysmart Ltd., Packaging, Niyi Yusuf, said the facility showed confidence in Nigeria’s industrial sector.
He described it as Africa’s largest food-grade recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) plant, adding that it would make Nigeria a major recycling centre in West Africa.
Yusuf said Nigeria could improve its recycling system by strengthening producer responsibility policies and investing in the necessary infrastructure, citing Germany, South Korea and the Netherlands as examples.
