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Plastic waste: ERA/FoEN wants soft drink bottling companies to take responsibility

THE Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) along with other environment-focused groups has urged the Nigerian Bottling Company, producers of Coca-Cola products, Seven Up Bottling Company and other producers of plastic to engage in Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) by taking responsibility of the plastic waste they produce.

This demand was the highpoint of a Return-To-Sender Action organised by ERA/FoEN and other groups recently in Benin City, as an extended action of a Brand Audit Exercise in four different markets in the city.

The exercise was targeted at determining the highest polluting brands. According to the groups, the Nigerian Bottling Company and Seven Up Bottling Company came up with the highest numbers of plastic waste products, with a frequency rate of 33 percent and 23 percent, respectively.

The exercise which was carried out in collaboration with Zero Waste Ambassadors (ZEWA), Edo Civil Society Organisation (EdoCSO) and Students Environmental Assembly of Nigeria (SEAN), University of Benin Chapter, involved the collection of discarded plastic bottles which were returned to Coca-Cola and Seven-Up facilities in Benin City.

Speaking during the action, the Executive Director of ERA/FoEN, Chima Williams, represented by Babawale Obayanju, stated that the flooding experienced in Benin City and its environs is aggravated by the plastic waste materials that have found their way to the drainage systems and waterways.

He added that statistics clearly show that the identified companies’ products were contributing heavily to the plastic waste menace in Benin without appropriate recycling systems in place.

“We brought their plastic waste back to them as it is polluting our environment and based on our findings during the brand audit, The Coca-Cola Company, Seven Up Bottling Company and others primarily use plastics for their packaging, including PET bottles with plastic caps.

“It is very crucial for these companies to design and develop a take-back or withdrawal scheme for their products as there are no active withdrawal schemes currently in place. Implementing the take-back/withdrawal schemes and exploring circular economy models can enhance recycling rates and reduce plastic pollution.”

“We also request that The Coca-Cola Company and the other brands should have a squint at further research and development into eco-friendly packaging materials, collaborate with recycling partners, and engage with consumers to achieve its plastic reduction targets and contribute to a cleaner environment”, he stated.

He called on Nigerian Bottling Company, Seven Up Bottling Company, CWAY Group and others to transition to sustainable packaging alternatives such as biodegradable materials, reusable containers, or reduced plastic packaging

Also speaking during the action, Project Officer, Waste Management of ERA/FoEN, Melody Enyinnaya, stated that the plastic pollution experienced in Benin City was appalling because of manufacturers producing without retrieving their waste. “This situation has thrown our environment into a dumping ground for plastics especially our drainage systems and our rivers; she further demanded that coca cola, seven up and all other manufacturers should withdraw their plastics waste from the environment as we need fishes in our rivers not their plastics,” she said.

She admonished these companies to participate in recycling programmes and encourage customers/consumers to recycle plastic bottles as the waste materials found during the brand audit were all recyclable.

The Brand Audit and Return-To-Sender exercise was organised to hold plastic producers accountable for the waste they produce, to draw attention to the dangers of plastic waste in the environment, and to call on producers to replace single use plastics with reusable or biodegradable plastics.

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