Opportunities for Nigeria’s plastic waste collectors as Coca-Cola invests $94,000

Mike Ochonma

300 jobs will be created in the waste collectors business following the grant of $94,000 funding from the Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF) to DoGood Africa in support of plastic waste collectors in Nigeria.

The $94,000 in funding from the Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF) to DoGood Africa will support the move to implement its recently launched Waste to Wealth sanitation project in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial and economic nerve centre.

The initiative aims to collect 500 tonnes of waste in its one-year pilot phase. This waste, mainly polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, will then be transformed into food packaging and sold to the population. DoGood Africa will implement the project in partnership with HB Imagino, a management and logistics consultancy based in Lagos State, Nigeria. DoGood Africa plans to start collecting plastic waste on the Lekki axis in Lagos State.

By funding the Waste to Wealth initiative, soft drink giant Coca-Cola, through its foundation, aims to reduce its impact on the environment in Nigeria by recycling plastic waste. Currently, the West African country produces 200,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year out of which at least, 70 percent ends up in landfills, sewers, beaches and water bodies.

Apart from Nigeria, the soft drink company supports plastic waste collection in other African countries, including Uganda where it recently allocated $30,000 to Care and Assistance for Forced Migrants (CAFOMI). The funds are earmarked for the implementation of a plastic waste collection programme. The initiative will benefit 833 households.