Environment
A Non-Governmental Organisation, Foundation for a Better Environment (FABE International) on Thursday inaugurated a recycling hub in Lagos to promote environmental sustainability and curb plastic pollution in the state.
Founder, FABE International, Mrs Temitope Okunnu, said the recycling hub was established in collaborating with the Coca-Cola Foundation.
She said the recycling hub, located in Victoria Garden City (VGC), Lagos, was part of the Foundation’s project tagged, “Tidy Nigeria.”
She explained that the choice of situating a recycling hub in a residential estate was due to the great amount of plastic wastes generated there.
Okunnu said promoting environmental sustainability must begin from the home-front, where these wastes are first generated.
“Today we are launching “Tidy Nigeria” here at the VGC, it is specifically for the residents, the business areas and its environs.
“This project is actually sponsored by the Coca-Cola Foundation, and to us it is a big deal,” she said.
According to her, there is a need and a gap when it comes to community recycling: “We do a lot of collection at the beach, at the dump site. But most recyclables are generated from our homes.
“So, this is what has prompted this project; we need to bring recycling closer to our people so that it is easy for them to recycle and live sustainably.
“We have been preaching and sensitising the communities about waste segregation, how to sort waste into recyclables and non-recyclables.
“We have brought the recycling hub to make it easier for people to sort their waste.”
Stressing the need to promote environmental sustainability, Mrs Nwamaka Onyemelukwe, the Director, Public Affairs, Communication and Sustainability, Coca-Cola, said the partnership with FABE served the company’s goal in fighting plastic pollution.
“This project is being launched today because as a company we need to see people taking action against plastic pollution.
“We produce a lot of products in PET bottles and cans but our vision is to create sustainable communities. We cannot promote environmental sustainability ourselves, hence our partnership with FABE.
“We have started with VGC but we hope to go across other residential estates in our vision of promoting environmental sustainability and curbing plastic pollution,” Onyemelukwe said.
On his part, the representative of the Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Mr Michael Bankole, commended the group’s efforts at curbing plastic pollution in the state.
He restated the government’s continuous support for all environmental sustainability projects of the group.
“We want everybody to take responsibility for their waste, their way of life and their environment. We must do everything to preserve the environment.
“There is a responsibility on us to always keep our trash and dispose them properly.
“We want to appreciate FABE International and Coca-Cola Foundation for this worthy venture. We are going to be supporting them all the way to make sure that this is also replicated in other states.
“We also see that you not only talk, but we must take action in this decade of climate action,” Bankole said.
The chairman, VGC Property Owners and Residents Association (VGCPORA), Mr Gihan Mbelu, lauded the initiative and promised that the residents would support it to tackle plastic pollution.
“This is a project that is very dear to our hearts. Of course, as you know, recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions, which eventually is a positive move on climate change.
“So for us to encourage a project like this, and to have it in our community is not just a win for us, but a win for Lagos and for the world.
“We will like to thank Coca-Cola and FABE International for bringing this project to us,” Mbelu said. (NAN)
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Tags: Coca-Cola Foundation Foundation for a Better Environment Nwamaka Onyemelukwe Temitope Okunnu
