Recycling industry needs national policy to thrive — Polysmart

Polysmart calls for national recycling policy at Lagos seminar

Polysmart Packaging Limited has called for the adoption of a national recycling policy to boost plastic waste collection, create jobs for young Nigerians and unlock opportunities in the country's recycling sector. The company made the call during a Capacity Development Seminar organised in collaboration with Switch Recycling Innovations Ltd and the Lagos State Recyclers Association, where four recyclers received ₦500,000 grants each to expand their businesses.

Speaking at the event, Group Head, Quality Assurance and Control, Polysmart Group, Ernest Ubasineke, said the absence of a unified national framework for plastic waste collection remains a major challenge to the industry's growth.

We need a national policy and awareness. Currently, a lot of plastics are disposed of indiscriminately because we don't have a national framework for collecting plastics.

— Ernest Ubasineke, Group Head, Quality Assurance and Control, Polysmart Group

Ubasineke noted that plastic waste collection presents significant economic opportunities for youths, adding that Polysmart's technology-driven platform connects households with collection agents and recyclers.

Officials describe recycling as a multi-billion-naira untapped industry

Also speaking, Special Adviser on One Health to the Honourable Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Femi Idowu-Adegoke, described recycling as a multi-billion-naira industry with enormous untapped potential.

There is an economic value in PET bottle collection and a value chain that creates opportunities beyond the bottles themselves.

— Femi Idowu-Adegoke, Special Adviser on One Health

Country Manager, Eco-Cycle Plastic, Taiwo Adewole, urged Nigerians to embrace waste separation at source, stressing that consumers play a critical role in achieving effective recycling outcomes. On his part, Group Managing Director of Polysmart Packaging, Wasiu Balogun, said the company's mobile app allows households to request recyclable waste pickup and receive cashless payments, adding that despite growing interest in recycling, PET bottle collection remains below 30 per cent of annual consumption, leaving significant room for investment and growth.

Four young recyclers receive ₦500,000 grants each

As part of efforts to encourage entrepreneurship in the sector, Polysmart awarded ₦500,000 grants each to Orowole Ogunbayo, Bello Khairat, Amusa Basirat and Opeyemi Jewel Jesani for their contributions to waste collection and recycling.