NCF, FCMB collaborate on plastic pollution

The Nigerian Conservation Foundation has partnered with First City Monument Bank Plc to tackle the issue of plastic pollution as part of activities to commemorate of the 2023 World Environment Day.

NCF and FCMB engaged in recycling, upcycling and beach clean-up in collaborative efforts to address the challenge of plastic pollution.

In a statement by the Communication Manager, Oladapo Soneye, the programme commenced with the distribution of recycle bins to a total of five selected schools and concluded recently with a beach clean-up exercise at Okun-Ajah Beach, Okun-Ajah Lagos.

It stated, �The beneficiary schools are Community Senior High School, Surulere; Itolo Girls Senior Secondary School, Surulere; Lagos Progressive Senior Secondary School, Surulere; Resettlement Junior Secondary School, Ilaje; and Ikota Primary School, Ikota.

�Each school received giant bins for collecting plastic waste. The recycling initiative will help inspire passion in children and can help reinforce the message of conservation to children. Activities such as recycling will help to drastically reduce the volume of plastics in their community, while also building environmentally concerned generations. School recycling will inspire students to care about the planet.�

The statement noted that the beach clean-up exercise was carried out at Okun-Ajahbeach to advocate actions that promote solutions to plastic pollution to the members of the Okun-Ajah community, Eti-Osa Local Government Area.

In his remark, the Director General of NCF, represented by the Acting Director of Technical Programme, Adedayo Memudu, said the enormous task Nigerians had was to surmount the challenge of plastic pollution.

He urged, �Apply a simple but effective approach to tackle it. As we all gather here today, we foster togetherness in fighting our common enemy of plastic pollution, and take the fight further, beyond the territory of our beach, community, and immediate environment.

�Recycling of plastic waste, being the focus of the solution, requires requisite actions. These include waste sorting, collection, and evacuation. NCF and FCMB provided collection facilities to 5 public schools with the provision of recycling bins.�

Similarly, the Head of Corporate Social Responsibility and Reporting, FCMB, Omoniyi Iyanda, stated that FCMB was committed to sponsoring programmes that created balanced opportunities in reducing plastic pollution and other climate risks, hence increasing awareness of innovative ways to recycle and upcycle these items.

He said, �FCMB is happy to build and grow communities and businesses that appreciate the importance of keeping our environment clean and free from all pollution.�