• In the Sh70 million project, bins will be distributed to schools, where they will also encourage tree planting drives.
• All the participating schools are in Embakasi constituency.
Image: / GORDON OSEN
Global food and beverage company Nestlé on Tuesday launched a plastics collection drive in 10 primary schools in Nairobi.
The initiative is a pilot programme in which the company will make waste collection bins from recycled materials to conserve the environment.
In the Sh70 million project, bins will be distributed to schools, where they will also encourage tree planting drives.
The participating schools in Nairobi will be engaged in a plastics collection programme around the learning institutions and their environs.
The initiative is a result of a collaborative arrangement between Nema, waste recycling group KEPRO and the Ministry of Education.
The company said the school’s plastic collection programme aims to make a positive change in sustainability and circular economy by instilling in learners a culture of recycling.
The initiative was launched at Thawabu Primary School in Kayole, Nyando, in Embakasi.
All the participating schools are in Embakasi constituency.
Some of them include Mwangaza, Komarock and Kayole primary schools.
The Education ministry was represented by the Nairobi region director of quality assurance Salome Wenya.
Nestle' Kenya's managing director Ng'etu Njeru said the project will be spread to all schools in the city if the pilot phase succeeds.
"It is an opportunity to drive collective impact alongside the various stakeholders to act quickly and reverse the damage caused to the environment," the MD said.
The plastics collection programme will also raise awareness on the importance of waste management to the youth.
The company said it has invested in the programme out of "responsibility, especially as business leaders, to mitigate the effects of climate change through our business operations."
"Through the RE Sustainability Initiative, we have collaborated with like-minded institutions like the Ministry of Education and Nema and KEPRO to create awareness of creating a circular economy,” Njeru said.
Thawabu Primary School head teacher Monica Muriithi said the initiative was right in targeting young learners.
"Teaching them from a young age on the importance of environmental conservation and upcycling and recycling for a better tomorrow, we know that our future will be in safe hands,” she said.
Edited by A.N