Plastic Waste: NGO embark on community cleanups and sensitization tagged #MissionZeroPlastics

By Wilfred Francis

A Non-Governmental Organisations on Saturday organized the Green Sallah Cleanup with the support of Kaduna State Environmental Protection Agency and others to clean drainages in a bid to protect the environment against plastic waste. The #MissionZeroPlastic Initiative is proudly sponsored by the #CocaColaFoundation and implemented by Aid For Rural Access to Education Initiative (AREAi), Eco Warriors Nigeria and Break-Free From Plastic Initiative.

Leading the delegation, Ibrahim M. S., the state team lead, alongside Community Recycling Champions of the Mission Zero Plastic, Soso Care and other participating NGOs sensitised and cleaned up drainages in Kakuri, Kaduna state.

Ibrahim M. S., said that through #MissionZeroPlastic, we aim to contribute to help communities address their plastic litter challenges and support their children’s educational aspirations by; increasing the overall collection rate of PET bottles, cans and other plastics through coordinated campaigns of community awareness raising workshops, recycling infrastructure installations, local partnerships and beach clean-ups, raising awareness of the negative effects of plastic waste consumption and promoting a zero- plastic lifestyle among community members, repurposing and reusing PET bottles through eco-bricking to the construction of informal community learning centres consisting of a technological lab, a community library and a vocational skills hub, actively enabling economic empowerment and enhancing the livelihood of women who are involved in plastic waste collection upon which this Green Sallah Cleanup in an effort towards ensuring that such objectives are achieved in Kaduna State.

Sam Ten-Yumar, a community recycling champion said that the operation was determined to rid the environment of plastic waste.

He said the organization wanted to ensure that people living in the area have a clean environment free from plastic wastes.

Speaking to NatureNews, he said, “We started from the airforce bus stop down to the Abattoir.

“The Abattoir is in a very bad shape. There is no proper refuse collection point.

“We are calling on the government to do something so that the environment can be safe for us to live in.

“If meat is being processed in an unkempt environment, then it’s not good for us.”

Speaking on challenges encountered during the exercise, Yumar stated, “There are some places that are inaccessible and we don’t have all the equipment that would aid work.

Also speaking, Salomi Samaila from National Community ethics and value, environmental compliance corps said, “We are here to support Mission Zero Plastic, because the plastic does not get decompose , it takes about 70-400 years to decompose and it’s not good and healthy for the environment, and you see the place is very dirty, and also to sensitise the people on the dangers of dumping plastic.

“The annoying thing is that they know it is not good but they keep dumping it, their complaint is they don’t know where to dump it.

“So we are here to tell the people how to go about it, but next time when we come, we will charge those responsible and it won’t be just awareness.”

Reacting to the exercise on the Community, Ali Mohammed, a resident who spoke with our correspondent, said he is happy with the work and wants more of it.

He also urged that the NGOs should employ the services of women that will access houses in order to take the campaign forward.