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The Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA) has intensified efforts to promote a healthier environment by reaching more than 1,200 Lagos residents with recycling awareness campaigns and recovering over three metric tonnes of recyclable waste during activities marking the 2026 World Environment Day.
The initiative, which combined environmental education, community engagement and waste recovery, was aimed at reducing pollution, improving sanitation and preventing health risks associated with indiscriminate waste disposal.
As part of the activities, FBRA educated more than 250 secondary school students at Gbaja Boys High School, Surulere, on the environmental, social and health consequences of poor waste management, while over 1,000 residents of Igando in Alimosho Local Government Area participated in a community awareness campaign on proper waste disposal and recycling.
Executive Director, FBRA, Agharese Onaghise, said educating young people and communities about responsible waste disposal is essential to building healthier and cleaner communities.
“When we reach young people in their schools, we are not just educating them about recycling. We are building the generation that will change the narrative on improper waste disposal by taking action,” Onaghise said.
The programme also featured a product buyback initiative involving more than 400 households, during which residents exchanged post-consumer packaging materials for food, beverages and household items provided by FBRA member companies. The exercise led to the recovery of more than three metric tonnes of recyclable waste that could otherwise have contributed to environmental pollution and disease risks.
Experts have long linked poor waste disposal to the spread of communicable diseases, flooding, air pollution and contamination of water sources, making effective waste management a critical public health intervention.
The awareness session for students was facilitated by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), with support from the Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources and the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), underscoring collaboration between government regulators and producers in tackling environmental health challenges.
As part of the World Environment Day celebration, FBRA also inaugurated a new recyclables collection centre in Igando in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and West Africa ENRG.
The facility, one of three completed under the partnership, is expected to improve access to recycling services for households and small businesses by providing a permanent community collection hub for recyclable materials.
According to FBRA, the centre will strengthen organised waste recovery systems, reduce indiscriminate dumping of packaging waste and support Nigeria’s transition to a circular economy while contributing to cleaner and healthier communities.
The alliance said the success of the activities reflected strong collaboration among producers, environmental regulators, recyclers and local communities.
It reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework and expanding recycling infrastructure across the country in collaboration with NESREA, state environmental agencies, recyclers, waste collectors and communities to improve packaging waste recovery and protect public health.
