FBRA Advocates for Recycling Infrastructure Over Plastic Ban in National Assembly Hearing
The Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA) has called on the National Assembly to focus on enhancing recycling infrastructure rather than imposing an outright ban on single-use plastics. The Alliance warned that a hastily implemented prohibition could jeopardize both environmental progress and economic stability in Nigeria.
Submission to House Committee on Single-Use Plastics Ban
During an appearance before the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee on Preparedness for the Single-Use Plastics Ban in Abuja, FBRA presented its stance. The group argued that Nigeria's plastic pollution issue stems not from plastic packaging itself, but from inadequate collection, segregation, recycling systems, and poor disposal practices.
Citing data from the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, FBRA noted that Nigeria generates approximately 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, while waste management infrastructure remains severely underdeveloped.
FBRA's Track Record and Investments
Since its inception in 2018, FBRA has recovered over 117,000 tonnes of post-consumer packaging, established 16 collection centres across all six geopolitical zones, and engaged with more than 200 communities nationwide. The Alliance highlighted a closed-loop recycling system for PET bottles in Lagos, which has contributed to measurable reductions in plastic leakage.
Member companies of FBRA have collectively invested over N1.3 billion in plastic waste collection infrastructure, with the broader sector committing more than N3 trillion towards recycling facilities. The Alliance cautioned that an abrupt ban could render these investments obsolete and hinder progress in building essential infrastructure to manage plastic waste effectively.
Alignment with Legislative Views and Proposed Strategies
FBRA's position resonated with views expressed at the hearing, where the Speaker of the House of Representatives, through a representative, advocated for a structured transition. Committee Chairman Terseer Ugbor emphasized the need for reforms that balance environmental sustainability with economic realities.
The Alliance proposed a circular economy framework based on three key strategies: reducing material use through packaging optimization, promoting reuse systems to extend product life cycles, and expanding recycling via stronger take-back schemes and investment in recovery facilities.
Socio-Economic Concerns and Call for a Just Transition
FBRA raised alarms about the potential socio-economic impact of an outright ban, noting that beyond 25,000 direct jobs in the plastics sector, over three million indirect livelihoods in logistics, informal waste collection, aggregation, and recycling could be at risk. The group stressed that waste collectors and aggregators, crucial to Nigeria's recycling chain, might lose their primary income sources without a structured transition plan.
FBRA Executive Director Agharese Onaghise, speaking at the hearing, called for a just transition that acknowledges current infrastructure limitations while setting clear and achievable future targets. What we are asking for is a just transition, one that is honest about where Nigeria's infrastructure is today, sets clear and achievable targets for where it needs to be, and invests in building the systems that will make those targets real, she stated. That is the only approach that can deliver genuine environmental gains without destroying the livelihoods of millions of Nigerians.
Onaghise also appealed for increased investment in research to identify sustainable packaging alternatives suitable for the food and beverage sector.
Recommendations and Regulatory Support
FBRA recommended a phased national roadmap to 2040 aligned with Nigeria's Circular Economy Roadmap (2024), the introduction of mandatory recycled-content requirements, integration of informal waste collectors into a formal Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework, and the creation of a transition finance facility supported by concessional funding.
The Alliance commended existing regulatory efforts, particularly the National Guidelines for EPR Implementation on Packaging (2025), and called for sustained stakeholder engagement to accelerate enforcement. FBRA maintained that a recycling-led strategy, rather than an outright ban, offers a more practical and inclusive pathway to addressing Nigeria's plastic pollution challenge.
