…Idea is to mop up wastes
Nigerian Bottling Company, NBC has established waste recycling banks among some communities in Lagos to not only promote environmental sustainability but allow members of communities exchange their wastes for cash.
The company which is collaborated with Chanja Datti, a firm that promotes environmental sustainability said it has established five hubs in Lagos and it will establish another 5 of such waste recycling banks in Abuja.
The project which cost the company N120 million, according to Idris Adetola, Packaging Recovery manager for NBC, will encourage individuals and organisations to deposit their recyclable wastes and earn income on them. This will also assist to divert the wastes from landfills and gutters.
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Funto Boroffice, managing director of Chanja Datti explained at the commissioning of one of the hubs in LSDPC Housing Estate in Ifako- Ijaiye one kilogram (30 bottles) of pet bottle is exchanged for N100. “There are also other waste materials for cash and the more wastes they bring the more money they collect. This is income generating opportunity for people within the communities”, she said.
Speaking at the event, Oluwasoromidayo George, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability director of NBC said appropriate waste management has the immense potential of creating a vibrant green circular economy that can alleviate poverty.
“With 133 million people in multi-dimensional poverty, it is imperative that we re-imagine the solutions to poverty reduction urgently. Managing plastic across its value chain presents us with the opportunity of not only creating decent jobs but also attracting multi-million dollar investments in to the sector”
She said that NBC has also made a commitment to prioritise sustainable packaging and waste management to reduce and eliminate the incidences of its packaging ending up as waste.
According to her, Food and Beverage Industry Association Producers Responsibility Organisation, FBRA, with mandate to champion post-consumer packaging collection, has made financial investments of over N2 billion that has enhanced the recovery of over 44 million kilogramme of rigid plastics from the environment.
In his comment, Gaji Tajudeen, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Environment and Water Resources represented by Adeoye Babatunde community recycling banks are catalysts for change, driving the society towards a more sustainable and environmentally responsible future.
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The project also encourages right recycling behaviour by bringing the infrastructure closer to the communities so that they can connect with the initiative.
