Nestle Nigeria and Wecyclers have put resources together to ensure that the Nigerian environment is rid of plastic pollution.
Already, the two firms have put in place a strategy to eradicate waste plastics from the society in other to protect the environment for the safety of the habitats.
Business Development Manager, Wecyclers, Easter Fagbo Chibuenyi, during a media tour of the facility sponsored by Nestle, said their partnership is already yeilding results as the centre collected about 80 tons of recyclables last month.
The media tour was part of the concluding session of the Nestle training for journalists at Lagos Business School (LBS), themed: “Advancing Nutrition, Health and Environmental Awareness”.
Chibuenyi said Wecyclers have monetary compensation for subscribers who submit plastics at their various collection points across the country, adding that a lot of women are already earning a living from the scheme.
She said: “Plastics can take about 20 years to decompose, so the need for recycling is very important.
“We currently have 13 collection kiosks in different locations and Lagos in partnership with Nestle
“We also have digital Apps to facilitate online transaction in waste carton, plastics, paper and cardboard with different payment categories”, she said.
Chibuenyi added that the company also have mobile trucks to collect material from communities.
Collection is the major problem in the recycling value chain in Nigeria. We are not collecting enough. We are still looking for more partners.
“Imagine a gutter being filled up with plastics. When there is a proper collection process, those plastics should be in recycling factory.”
“We have two franchises with Nestle. The franchises are helping us to collect a lot of plastics from the environment. Last month, we collected about 80 tons of recyclables and we are hoping to do more in subsequent months,” she said.
Mrs Edidiong Peters, Public Affairs Specialist, Nestlé Nigeria Ltd., said that the partnership was strategic to address plastic pollution in the country.
She said it was part of Nestlé’s contribution to promote environmental sustainability among Nigerians.
“We are really delighted to have the media with us as we talk about collaboration with the Lagos Business School (LBS) Sustainability Center, in tackling plastic pollution.
“This is our own contribution in addressing plastic pollution in Nigeria and protecting the environment as a company.
“As a company, we recently launched the ‘The Employees Plastics Collection Scheme’.
We want our staff to bring the plastics and recyclables to the office.
“And in collaboration with Wecyclers, we ensure that the plastics are received and properly recycled and the staff paid for their contribution.
