By Seun Ibiyemi
The Nigeria Police Force has raided several illegal recycling sites in Onitsha and its environs, arresting suspects involved in the destruction and resale of returnable packaging materials belonging to beverage manufacturers, a development industry stakeholders say is causing major economic losses.
The operation, carried out in collaboration with beverage companies, targeted facilities allegedly involved in crushing returnable glass bottles and shredding plastic crates for resale as raw materials in informal recycling markets.
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Director-General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, said the enforcement action followed credible intelligence from member companies that had suffered significant financial losses due to the illegal diversion and destruction of their packaging assets.
According to him, beverage manufacturers have invested heavily in returnable packaging systems designed for repeated reuse as part of their cost-efficiency and sustainability strategies.
However, the illegal activities of informal recyclers have continued to erode those investments.
Ajayi-Kadir explained that investigations revealed that large quantities of bottles and plastic crates were being diverted from legitimate supply chains into illegal recycling networks across parts of the South-East.
He noted that in many cases, reusable bottles were deliberately broken while crates were intentionally shredded for sale as recyclable raw materials, disrupting the beverage companies’ circular packaging model and forcing them to incur additional production and replacement costs.
“The recent raid is the outcome of sustained engagements and intelligence-led investigations and represents a decisive step by authorities to protect legitimate business operations, uphold environmental standards and deter further illegal activity,” he said.
Industry stakeholders warn that the illegal destruction of returnable packaging materials is not only a criminal act but also a form of economic sabotage capable of undermining manufacturing investments.
Beyond the direct asset losses running into millions of naira, Ajayi-Kadir said the practice also creates wider economic implications, including supply chain disruptions, rising operational costs, and inefficiencies in the beverage production value chain.
He added that unsafe recycling practices by unregulated operators could also pose environmental and public safety risks.
“These returnable packaging materials are company-owned assets designed for multiple reuse cycles and form a critical part of manufacturers’ sustainability, cost-efficiency and product quality systems. Destroying them undermines investments in the sector,” he said.
Ajayi-Kadir urged relevant government agencies to intensify enforcement against the illegal diversion and destruction of returnable packaging materials outside the approved value chain.
He also called on the public to support efforts to curb the practice by reporting suspicious activities to security agencies or through consumer care channels of beverage companies.
Manufacturers say tackling the problem is critical to protecting investments in Nigeria’s beverage industry and sustaining the efficiency of packaging systems that support production and distribution across the country.
