Ogun plant to recycle 6.5bn plastic bottles yearly

An indigenous plastic recycling plant in Mowe, Ogun State, Polysmart Packaging Limited, says it plans to process up to 6.5 billion discarded plastic bottles annually, as Nigeria grapples with plastic waste that contributes to blocked drainage channels, flooding and pollution of waterways.

The Head, Brands & Corporate Communications, Titilope Olayemi, in a statement released on Monday, said the organisation would commission the first phase of its expanded food-grade recycled polyethene terephthalate plant on Thursday, with the facility designed to process up to 100,000 tonnes of post-consumer PET bottles annually.

According to her, the development is expected to increase the recovery of discarded plastic bottles for reuse in manufacturing, although the effectiveness of recycling efforts will depend on efficient waste collection, public participation and reliable networks for transporting and processing recovered materials.

According to the company, the $60m facility is designed to produce 60,000 tonnes of food-grade recycled PET annually, alongside 20,000 tonnes of other recycled plastics. The recycled material is intended for use by manufacturers, including those seeking to increase the recycled content of their packaging.

Speaking ahead of the commissioning, the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Polysmart Group, Wasiu Balogun, said the investment was built on the efforts of plastic collectors, employees, industry partners, financiers and communities.

When we started this journey in 2013, many people told us that world-class, food-grade recycling could not be built in Nigeria. Today, with deep gratitude, we can say that it has been built here by Nigerians, for Nigeria and for Africa”, the statement quoted him as saying.

He credited the achievement to the collective efforts of plastic collectors, employees, industry partners, financiers and communities that have supported the company’s growth.

We are not only recycling plastic; we are restoring dignity to our environment and creating opportunity for our people”, the statement quoted Balogun as adding.

The statement added that the plant was expected to generate approximately 1,000 direct jobs and more than 50,000 indirect jobs across the recycling value chain, including collection, aggregation, transportation and processing.

The company currently operates 25 aggregation centres across eight states and plans to establish another 250 centres across all 36 states within two years. The expansion is intended to increase the volume of discarded bottles collected and delivered to the plant.

However, the company acknowledged that the success of bottle-to-bottle recycling depends on effective waste collection, participation by households and businesses, reliable aggregation networks and collaboration across the packaging value chain.

The facility is also expected to reduce reliance on imported virgin plastic resin. Polysmart estimates that Nigeria consumes about 600,000 tonnes of virgin PET annually and projects that its plant could save approximately $72m in foreign exchange each year by reducing imports.

PUNCH Online reports that plastic waste remains an environmental concern because discarded bottles can accumulate in drainage channels, landfills and waterways.

By returning used bottles to the manufacturing cycle, recycling can recover materials that would otherwise be discarded.

The company said the facility incorporates processing and sorting systems supplied by European technology providers EREMA, SOREMA and TOMRA. It added that its food-grade recycling processes were designed to meet applicable food-contact standards associated with the United States Food and Drug Administration and the European Food Safety Authority.

The plant is also expected to support manufacturers responding to Nigeria’s evolving plastic-waste regulatory framework and Extended Producer Responsibility requirements.

The commissioning ceremony, themed “Closing the Loop: Food-Grade rPET and Nigeria’s Circular Economy,” will take place at the company’s factory along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway in Ileke Town, Mowe, Ogun State.