Clean, sustainable environment: Nestle Partners ACI to clean up Agege Market in Lagos

As the world advances the cause for a clean, safe and sustainable environment, Nestlé Nigeria Plc and African Cleanup Initiative (ACI), an NGO, have cleaned up Agege Market in the conurbation of Ikeja and Ogba in Lagos.

A team of volunteers from Maggi, an iconic brand from the stable of Nestlé Nigeria Plc and ACI  cleared the popular, big market of filth and waste and evacuated them.

The Category and Marketing Manager for Culinary, Nestlé Nigeria Plc, Nwando Ajene, said: “We are leading efforts in tackling post-consumption waste management through various initiatives, including clean-up.

“In addition to removing waste from the environment, we are also raising awareness and promoting behavioral change, which are both very critical to achieving a cleaner environment through proper waste management.

“We are happy to partner with the African Cleanup Initiative (ACI), and all the Nestlé volunteers who have come out today to show their commitment to rejuvenating our planet.’’

Also, Alexander Akhigbe, the founder of African Cleanup Initiative, said during the exercise that ACI was proud to clean up Oniwaya Market, Agege with Maggi.

He noted that volunteers from both teams demonstrated a high level of enthusiasm that aided the effective waste removal efforts.

“This partnership with MAGGI also serves as an added opportunity for ACI to `environgelise’ for environmental sanity and sustainability.

“We are also happy with the opportunity to donate cleaning tools like packers and brooms to the market team which was supported by Maggi.

“Nestlé is committed to packaging and delivering her products in ways that are safe to continuously protect the environment for future generations.

“The company has also announced ambitious sustainability goals to advance the health of our planet, including cutting greenhouse gas emissions to achieve net zero by 2050,’’ he said.

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Akhigbe said the company recognised that multi-stakeholder action was required to achieve the objective of managing post-consumer packaging plastic materials and is, therefore, working with partners to attain the goal.

The partners, he said, included other stakeholders in the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA), Wecyclers, Chanja Datti and ACI.

“These collaborative efforts help to advance Nestlé’s vision that none of its packaging, including plastics, ends up in landfills or as litter in oceans, lakes or rivers.

“In 2021 alone, over 4,756.5TMT of plastic waste was removed from the environment through the collection initiatives and community projects of FBRA and Nestlé Nigeria partnerships with Wecyclers and Chanja Datti.

A total of 99.4 kilograms of solid waste, including 4.1 kilograms of recyclable waste was removed from the environment during the recent market clean-up exercise.

“The collected waste was segregated and sent for further processing.’’

It will be recalled that Nestle each year partners NGOs to clean up the environment in line with its belief that the oceans and the environment be rid of plastics to save aquatic lives and free it of malaria and other water-borne diseases through recycling.

Nestlé has carried out clean up at the Redline Leisure Resort and Beach, Okun-Ajah, Lagos, with emphasis on proper disposal of plastic and other recyclable wastes and aims to play an active role in changing behaviour and raising public awareness about reducing plastic waste and recycling.

Nestlé Nigeria is one of the largest food and beverage companies in Africa and for over 59 years, has been delighting consumers around Nigeria by consistently delivering high quality nutritious food.

With a staff strength of over 2,200 direct employees, three manufacturing sites, seven branch offices and a head office located in Lagos, the company produces and markets several iconic brands, including NESTLÉ PURELIFE, GOLDEN MORN, MILO, MAGGI and NESCAFÉ.

Nestlé’s purpose is to unlock the power of food to enhance quality of life for everyone today and for generations to come.