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The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) and the Break Free From Plastic Movement (BFFP) on Tuesday launched the Nigerian Plastic Brand Audit Report (2018–2024), highlighting corporate contributions to plastic pollution.
The organisers, at a media briefing in Lagos on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, described plastic pollution as an urgent environmental and public health crisis.
Speaking on behalf of the group and its partners, Mr. Weyinmi Okotie, Clean Energy Campaigner for GAIA, said Nigeria generates about 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, with only a fraction recycled.
Okotie said a nationwide citizen-science audit was conducted during community clean-ups across eight cities in seven states, namely Osogbo, Jos, Ughelli, Warri, Port Harcourt, Lagos, Uyo and Benin City.
According to him, the report shows that 298,174 pieces of plastic waste were audited to identify the most common items and the brands responsible for their production.
“The findings showed that sachets, particularly water sachets, were the most prevalent waste items, followed by plastic bottles, bags and wrappers,” Okotie said.
He said the report findings estimated that about 60 million water sachets are discarded daily in Nigeria, amounting to over 20 billion annually, many of which clog drains and worsen flooding.
He said the audit identified Coca-Cola and PepsiCo as leading multinational brands linked to plastic pollution across surveyed cities.
“Other major contributors named were Nestlé, Rite Foods, CWAY Group and several local table-water producers.”
He noted that in cities such as Lagos, plastic waste contributes significantly to blocked drainage systems, leading to recurrent flooding that destroys homes and livelihoods.
He said existing policies, including the National Policy on Plastic Waste Management and state-level single-use plastic restrictions, remain weakly enforced nationwide.
He called on federal and state governments to adopt binding plastic reduction targets under the proposed global plastics treaty and strengthen Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) frameworks.
“The groups urged mandatory national EPR standards requiring producers and importers to assume full financial responsibility for plastic waste management while integrating waste pickers into formal systems.
“They also demanded that multinational and local companies reduce plastic production, invest in reuse and refill systems, and phase out toxic, non-recyclable packaging.
“Civil society organisations were encouraged to continue exposing polluters and reject incineration as a false solution to plastic pollution.
“The plastic crisis in Nigeria is driven by a throwaway culture fueled by the fossil fuel industry. Delay is no longer an option,” Weyinmi Okotie added.
Other members of the group included Green Knowledge Foundation, Centre for Earth Works, Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development, and other partners.
By Fabian Ekeruche
