Coca-Cola foundation, USAID partner with Techno serve to tackle plastic waste management
By Oluwaseyi Lawal
The Coca-Cola Foundation in conjunction with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced the launch of it’s partnership with Technoserve to launch the Nigeria Plastic Solutions Activity (NPSA) initiative.
This initiative, backed by a combined investment of $4 million from Coca-Cola and USAID, addresses the pressing issue of plastic waste management in Nigeria through innovative recycling approaches. Given the significant environmental challenge posed by plastic pollution, particularly in Nigeria where an estimated 2.5 million metric tons of plastic waste is generated annually, urgent action is required to minimize its adverse effects on the environment and public health.
The primary aim of the NPSA is to recover approximately 49,000 metric tons of plastic waste in Nigeria while enhancing the collection capacity of more than 24 aggregators and 9,500 collectors. Furthermore, the program endeavors to create over 10,000 green jobs, thereby promoting circularity in plastic waste management and fostering a cleaner, healthier environment.
Commenting on this new development, Saadia Madsbjerg, President of The Coca-Cola Foundation said, “The Coca‑Cola Foundation places a priority on helping communities become more sustainable by supporting innovative collection and recycling solutions at a local level. We hope this new program in Nigeria serves as a catalyst to drive increased collection and recycling rates as we collectively work towards a more sustainable society, one community at a time.”
At the launch event, the USAID Mission Director, Melissa Jones stated “In addition to improving the environment, plastic collection, sorting, aggregating, processing and manufacturing offers employment opportunities. Small and medium scale enterprises and entry-level and semi-skilled workers particularly stand to benefit from this new value chain.”,
The Lagos State Commissioner for Environment, Mr Tokunbo Philip Wahab, stressed the important of the Nigeria Plastic Solutions Activity (NPSA). He said, “Our policy and advocacy efforts present a paradigm shift on Plastic Waste. We can no longer view it as a disposable commodity; rather, it must be regarded as resource demanding responsible stewardship. We cannot shy away from this responsibility; we must confront it head-on with resolve and determination.”
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