The Nigeria Police Force and the Beer Sectoral Group (BSG), a member of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, have stormed several factories in Anambra State and the surrounding areas and arrested some individuals for destroying returnable packaging materials, such as glass bottles and plastic crates, that belonged to different beverage manufacturing companies. 

Abiola Laseinde, the Executive Secretary of BSG, clarified that the organization was collaborating with law enforcement to combat theft, unlawful disposal, and unapproved recycling of its recyclable packaging materials, particularly glass bottles and plastic crates. 

According to Laseinde, the proprietors of these industries destroyed recyclable packaging materials so they could be used again, costing the companies millions of naira in lost revenue.

"Through formal petitions and intelligence sharing, the group engaged relevant security and regulatory authorities, seeking lawful intervention to curb the illegal practices, recover company assets, and dismantle unauthorised recycling operations," she said. 

As to her statement, the team discovered several sites in the Southeast where our bottles and crates are crushed for subsequent sale as raw materials. Investigations had shown that large amounts were being diverted from legal channels into unofficial recycling networks, she continued. 

Additionally, she said that the circular packaging concept used by beverage corporations was undermined in multiple cases when bottles were purposefully damaged and crates were purposefully shredded for sale as raw materials.

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