Nigerian Breweries Launches Plastic Recycling Project

Nigerian Breweries Plc, Nigeria’s foremost brewing company has launched a plastic recycling project tagged “NB Recycles” among employees as well as its host communities. This initiative is part of the company’s sustainability agenda, tagged – ‘Brew a Better World’ (BaBW).

As part of the project, various collection points will be set up in all 9 brewery locations of Nigerian Breweries across the country (as well as the respective host communities) to encourage staff and members of the public to embrace the habit of recycling by returning all plastic bottles, aluminum cans, paper, cartons, nylon, and glass in exchange for monetary rewards.

In Lagos, the company has set up a collection point at its headquarters for staff, and also donated four recycling bins to the Ijora community in Lagos to promote community-led plastic recycling and combat plastic pollution in the area.

The NB Recycles project is being executed in partnership with Wecyclers, a foremost waste recycler in Nigeria who will manage the collection, sorting, and recycling of all the plastic wastes brought in by employees and community members.

Speaking at the launch, the Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Hans Essaadi said the project restates the company’s commitment towards environmental sustainability, especially in the areas of Plastic recovery and Recycling.

Essaadi noted that the employee-led recycling initiative also complements the efforts of the Food and Beverages Recycling Alliance (FBRA), in creating a circular economy via recycling plastic waste. He noted that though the company contributes a minuscule percentage (5%) of plastic waste in Nigeria, it remains committed to ramping up efforts towards recycling plastic waste in the country.

In her remarks, the Corporate Affairs Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Sade Morgan described the project as one of several ways through which the company is driving awareness on plastic pollution and recycling among employees and host communities.

She thanked residents of the Ijora community, NESREA, Lagos Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, LAWMA for their constant support and encouragement on environment-related issues, affirming that the company is wholeheartedly committed to making the initiative a truly unqualified success.

Representative of the Ojora of Ijora and Iganmu Kingdom, Prince Kunle Aromire also expressed his profound appreciation to the management of the company for their concern and commitment towards improving the welfare of the environment and the people of Ijora and Iganmu communities of Lagos.

Other key stakeholders present at the launch event include representatives from the Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), and Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA). They all commended the efforts of Nigerian Breweries in tackling the menace of plastic waste in the country.