Nigeria produces 200,000 tons of plastic waste per year, two-thirds of which ends up in landfills, according to the Global Partnership for Action on Plastics (GPAP). In this context of pollution, the Lagos-based non-governmental organization (NGO) Fabe is launching a joint campaign with the Nigerian subsidiary of the U.S. soft drink giant Coca-Cola to recycle plastic packaging in the Nigerian economic capital.
The operation called “Tidy Nigeria Recycling” is deployed in public places and homes “to achieve the goal of recovering 600 tons of plastic. Anyone can now drop off their bottles, cans and cartons and be rewarded immediately. This will also encourage the sorting of household waste at source for a waste-free and CO2-free Lagos,” says Saadia Madsbjerg, president of the Coca-Cola Foundation.
This initiative focused on sustainable development will ultimately empower women and provide self-employment for young people in the city of Lagos where 21 million people live according to World Bank estimates.
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A few months ago, Coca-Cola and the Nigeria Climate Innovation Centre (NCIC) launched a recycling program called the Cycle Plast Project. The initiative aims to rid the West African country of 8,910 tons of plastic waste (water and yogurt bags, edible oil and laundry bottles, etc.) each year. The program will be implemented by the end of 2022 in six Nigerian states including Kano, Adamawa, Abia, Kwara, Edo, and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi