By Victor Gbonegun
Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has reiterated the need for industrial partnership to ensure that the rate of plastic pollution is reduced to the barest minimum in the society.
Managing Director of the Agency, Ibrahim Odumboni, said this during a cleanup exercise at Elegushi Beach organised by the Coca-Cola System in Nigeria in partnership with the Mental and Environmental Development Initiative for Children (MEDIC) and others at the weekend. The exercise is focused on eliminating debris from beaches and the preserving shorelines of coastal communities.
Odumboni, who was represented by Executive Director of Finance, Mr. Kunle Adebiyi, explained that cleaning the shoreline is not peculiar to Nigeria alone, adding that the objective is to protect the aquatic animals and prevent health hazards that plastic can constitute.
“As a regulator of waste management in Lagos State, beach cleaning activity is something that we are sustaining and will continue to be ongoing in every corner of the state. The current administration is promoting infrastructure that will enhance the collection of plastics in Lagos State. About four years ago we had only three recyclers in the whole of Lagos State when this programme was launched. We have over 150 recyclers and more are still coming on board to register in the informal sector,” he said.
The Director, Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability, Coca Cola Nigeria, Nwamaka Onyemelukwe, emphasised the commitment to promote sustainable ecosystems and ocean preservation through its yearly beach cleanup exercise in furtherance of the World Without Waste Vision.
“Through this vision, Coca-Cola is investing in the planet and in its packaging with a goal to collect and recycle a bottle or can for everyone it sells globally – regardless of where it comes from – by 2030.
While we have made progress against our World Without Waste goals, we’re also committed to doing more, faster, so that we grow our business the right way. That’s why in 2020, we signed a joint statement urging United Nations member states to adopt a global treaty to tackle the plastic waste issue and helped launch the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty in 2022.
“We also announced an industry-leading target for reusable packaging aiming to have at least 25 per cent of all beverages globally across our portfolio of brands sold in refillable/returnable glass or plastic bottles or in refillable containers,” Onyemelukwe said.
She said: “Addressing plastic waste and recycling challenges requires collaboration between the industry, the public sector, and civil society. Through effective collaboration as well as partnerships with Non-Governmental Organisations such as the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA), National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP), Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), we can help accelerate impact. About three years ago, there was no bottle-to-bottle recycling plant in Lagos but we now have two of such companies using used plastic bottles as raw materials for their produce, which is a significant step.”
Managing Director, CHI Limited, Eelco Weber, said: “For the Coca-Cola System in Nigeria, sustainability remains at the very core of all operations. We have set ambitious goals to facilitate this, and we are taking a leading role in Nigeria by collecting and recycling the equivalent of every bottle or can we sell by 2030.”
On his part, the Director, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, Nigerian Bottling Company, Soromidayo George, said it is imperative to sort recyclables like PolyEthylene Terephthalate (PET) from other household waste and take them to the recycling banks, since recycling PET can help reduce the yearly volume of plastics entering the oceans by 80 per cent, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent, help generate income and create jobs thereby contributing to the economic development of Nigeria.
PET is used to package 70 per cent of carbonated soft drinks, fruit juices, dilutable drinks and bottled water.
Source: The Guardian