The Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA) has called on citizens of Lagos State to imbibe the culture of recycling. This is as it reinstated its unwavering commitment to a cleaner environment through its buy-back campaign on recyclable waste launched at Orile community, Lagos on Saturday, May 25, 2019.
On that day, FBRA, the Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) of companies in the food and beverage sector will embark on reward-for-waste initiative at Market Bus Stop, Ojora Street (former Baale Street) Orile, Lagos. The event is to commence by 10am.
This initiative is to ensure that food and beverage packaging waste are recycled into other useful products and help create more jobs as well as keep the environment clean.
The Alliance, through campaigns and clean-up initiatives in partnership with Lagos State Government and other stakeholders, aims to turn the current challenge of post-consumer waste in the country into an opportunity within the recycling value chain to create jobs.
Commenting on the clean-up initiative, FBRA’s Vice Chairman, Adekunle Olusuyi said “It is unacceptable that our packaging waste end up in the wrong places, in our oceans and waterways or littering the communities where we work and live. We have a responsibility to help ensure our impact is a positive one and our actions inspire others to help generate solutions that leave our world better for generations to come. That’s why FBRA is collaborating with its waste collection partner, RecyclePoints and the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) to rid the environment of all food and beverage packaging waste.
As part of the scheme, residents of Orile community are advised to come out with their plastic bottles, pure water sachets, used beverage cans, cartons, tetra packs, newspapers and glass bottles to the designated centre where the reward for recyclable waste will take place.
Olusuyi stated that community recycling campaigns has been ongoing through our collection partner RecyclePoints in different communities. Last month, we were at Ojo community to raise awareness on waste separation and proper disposal to curtail environmental pollution in Lagos and we will expand this initiative to other communities.
Food and beverage packaging is an important part of our modern lives, yet the world has a packaging problem. Like many companies that make products we all love, our packaging has contributed to this global challenge and we have a responsibility to help solve this problem. That’s exactly what we’re doing, and we invite others to join us on this critical journey.”
He further informed that the collective effort of member-companies of FBRA in environmental preservation will lead to knowledge sharing, encourage innovation on technical and other solutions appropriate for waste management, especially on recycling projects.
This necessitated the industry participation at the CEO Africa Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, in March this year, where the launch of the Africa Plastics Recycling Alliance took place. It was aimed at transforming plastics recycling infrastructure across Sub-Saharan Africa and build new economic opportunity
Founded in December 2013, the Alliance has membership drawn from responsible and forward-thinking companies with a shared concern for the environment. These includes Nigerian Bottling Company Limited/Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Seven-Up Bottling Company Limited, Nestle Nigeria Plc, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Intercontinental Distillers Limited, International Breweries Limited and Tulip Cocoa.