The Empowering Collectors Initiative is changing Nigeria’s sustainability ecosystem with the unveiling of large-scale equipment for aggregators, the aim of the program is to enhance environmental resilience by preventing the flow of plastic waste, especially PET, to water ways and landfills through an aggressive and organized system that targets about 25,000 MT of waste.
Within 10 months of long-reaching impact, the program has evacuated over 5,000 MT of plastics with 10 aggregators across 6 states in Nigeria and to ensure the program success, The Coca Cola Foundation has provided equipment with a cumulative processing capacity of 12,844 MT yearly.
The provision of these equipment to aggregators is great validation of the program model and rapid growth to date – they include Horizontal and Vertical Balers, Complete washing line, Generating Set, Floor scale that make recycling of plastics easier and faster thereby increasing the volume that can be processed, while supporting the aggregators with a more seamless and innovative recycling experience.
According to the Director of Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Nwamaka Onyemelukwe, “the equipment funded by The Coca Cola Foundation through its implementing partner; Growing Businesses Foundation is a significant upgrade from the locally produced equipment which aggregators use, with improved functionality and better navigation to provide aggregators the advantage of speed, simple structure, stable action, easy cleaning and maintenance, automatic fault diagnosis”. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that bottles and cans don’t end up in places where they don’t belong.
For example, the newly acquired baler has a loading door, safety interlock, side mounted power unit and bale eject system. Baler machines are among the most effective recycling and waste management solutions as they condense sorted waste into easy-to-transport blocks. While the Horizontal baler is customized according to aggregator requirements and has a control panel that is touch screen control, simple operation, self-contained feeding detection, automatic compression with little to no manned operation.
We are excited to unveil these equipment at our aggregator locations across Nigeria and we believe that beneficiary aggregators will find it easier, more convenient to use. We believe that this intervention will further increase their processing capacity while also lowering their business running cost. “With the improved features and functionality, we hope to reinforce The Coca Cola Foundation’s commitment of supporting local changemakers leaving a measurable and lasting impact in communities. We encourage everyone to take active steps in protecting their immediate environment for a greener earth,” added Samson Olukolu, the Program Director, Growing Businesses Foundation.
About GBF
Growing Businesses Foundation (GBF) is a grant-making nonprofit organization that has built Nigeria’s largest bottom of the pyramid Network with the objective of empowering women and youth.
In 23 years, we have partnered with local, national and international institutions catalysing economic growth, driving poverty eradication and ensuring job creation.
About The Coca-Cola Foundation
Established in 1984, The Coca-Cola Foundation has invested more than $1.5 billion around the world to protect the environment, empower women to thrive and to enhance the overall well-being of people and communities.
