The Food and Beverages Recycling Alliance (FBRA), a coalition of responsible and forward-looking companies united by a shared concern for the environment and a commitment to promote sustainability through recycling, threw its full support to the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) at the launch of the Waterways Clean-up campaign which held this Wednesday in Lagos.
The FBRA comprises 9 member companies, including Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC), Nigerian Breweries PLC, Nestle Nigeria PLC, Seven-Up Bottling Company PLC, Guinness, AB Inbev, Intercontinental Distilleries, Prima Corporation and Tulip Processing.
Through the clean-up campaign, LASWA seeks to work with other interested stakeholders to take the message of imbibing a clean environment to streets and markets in some parts of Lagos. According to the authority, educating members of the public has become necessary due to incessant abuse of the waterways through the dumping of human waste, industrial waste from companies, littering with cans, bottles, used food wrappers, nylon bags, and other waste products.
Speaking at the event, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Governor of Lagos State, who was represented by the Commissioner of Transportation, Frederick Abimbola Oladeinde, commended LASWA, FBRA and other stakeholders for coming together to work towards a better environment for Lagos.
He said, “Water transportation is a vital part of this administration’s drive to achieve a megacity and environmental sustainability. We aim to reduce traffic on the road by utilising the waterways. Government’s investment without considering the waterways would be a waste which is why Lagos State Government has launched a fleet of boats.”
The Chairman of the Food and Beverages Recycling Alliance, Matthieu Seguin, who doubles as the Managing Director, Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC), in his speech said the FBRA was delighted to be a part of the initiative by the Lagos State Waterways Authority to drive awareness and inspire positive action to ensure our waterways are cleaner and safer for navigation and transportation.
Seguin said: “The vision of the FBRA is to pioneer the establishment of a world-class industry compliance model on the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program in Nigeria. FBRA has the mandate to enable the recovery of post-consumer packaging waste, especially plastics, from the environment through industry-led thought-leadership, policy drive and sustainable partnerships with various stakeholders in the waste management value chain in Nigeria.”
He stated further that the FBRA, as a Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) for the food and beverage industry in Nigeria, comprises different responsible companies that are committed to the lifecycle management of our packaging, especially plastics.
“We support any initiative aimed at creating public awareness on the need for proper disposal of post-consumer packaging waste. FBRA therefore endorses the State Government’s ‘Blue Box’ initiative which leverages established infrastructure of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) for waste segregation at source for all recyclables, to ensure that they do not end up in our waterways or landfills,” he said.
“Plastic packages are not meant to end up on our waterways or landfills. The resultant effect of pollution of our waterways is climate change, interference of the aquatic environment and negative health impact through seafood consumption.
“I believe that this is a great step in the right direction particularly because Lagos being a Mega-City needs a sustainable alternative to road transportation to address the traffic situation. The waterways can provide that alternative for a State so blessed with water bodies like Lagos.”
The Governor was represented by Frederick Abimbola Oladeinde, the Commissioner of Transportation.
The event also saw the clean-up ambassadors, top Nigerian musician, Bez Idakula, and Bisola Ayeola of the Big Brother Naija fame joining the campaign team, who all had a boat cruise to some locations in Ikorodu to affirm the efficiency of water transportation as a faster mode of transportation to beat traffic gridlock associated with road travel.
FBRA is a team of responsible and forward-looking companies united by a shared concern for the environment and a commitment to promote sustainability through recycling. The vision of the coalition is to pioneer the establishment of a world-class industry compliance model on the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program in Nigeria.
