By IJEOMA UKAZU
Throwing garbage all over the place without using a plastic bag only pollutes the environment resulting to some health consequences.
Experts say, keeping the environment clean -whether at home, work, market place, school or the hispital is an important way to prevent infections and keep dangerous germs at bay.
To this end, Nestlé in partnership with African Cleanup Initiative, ACI, recently stormed the Agege Market in Lagos with a team of volunteers from Nestlé Nigeria for some clean-up activity which took place on Thursday March 24, 2022.
A team of volunteers at the Agege clean up activity recently held in Lagos.
Speaking on the initiative, the Category and Marketing Manager for Culinary, Nestlé Nigeria PLC, Nwando Ajene, said: “Our company is leading efforts in tackling post consumption waste management through various initiatives including this clean-up exercise. In addition to removing waste from the environment, we are also raising awareness and promoting behavioral change, which are both very critical to achieving a cleaner environment through proper waste management.
“We are happy to partner with the African Cleanup Initiative, ACI, and all the Nestlé volunteers who have come out today to show their commitment to rejuvenating our planet.”
Also commenting during the clean-up activity, Alexander Akhigbe, the founder of ACI, mentioned that ACI is proud to cleanup Oniwaya Market, Agege with Maggi.
Volunteers from both teams reportedly demonstrated a high level of enthusiasm that aided the effective waste removal efforts.
“This partnership with MAGGI also serves as an added opportunity for ACI to “environgelise” for environmental sanity and sustainability. We are also happy with the opportunity to donate cleaning tools like packers and brooms to the market team which was supported by Maggi.”
Nestlé said it is committed to packaging and delivering her products in ways that are safe to continuously protect the environment for future generations. The company has also announced ambitious sustainability goals to advance the health of our planet, including cutting greenhouse gas emissions to achieve net zero by 2050.
The company recognises that multi-stakeholder action is required to achieve this objective and is therefore working with partners including other stakeholders in the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance, FBRA, Wecyclers and Chanja Datti and ACI on the management of post-consumer packaging plastic materials.
“These collaborative efforts help to advance Nestlé’s vision that none of its packaging, including plastics, ends up in landfills or as litter, in oceans, lakes or rivers.”
In 2021 alone, over 4,756.5TMT of plastic waste was removed from the environment through the collection initiatives and community projects of FBRA and Nestlé Nigeria partnerships with Wecyclers and Chanja Datti.
A total of 99.4 Kilogrammes of solid waste including 4.1 Kilogrammes of recyclable waste was removed from the environment during the recent market clean-up exercise. The collected waste was segregated and sent for further processing.