In a bid to tackle plastic pollution in Oyo State, Hardams Recycling Limited organised a walk at the weekend to sensitise citizens to the dangers of plastic pollution in the society.
The walk was tagged ‘Kick out plastic pollution walk’ and was a part of activities of Planet Keepers, a brand under the organisation.
The activity is billed to be a monthly sensitisation and sanitation exercise to encourage people not to burn or throw plastics into gutters and other waterways, leading them into the ocean and further harming the aquatic habitats.
Managing Director of the organisation, Daniel Christopher, said plastics do not decompose like other waste materials as they remain under the ocean for generations.
He added that Oyo State is a very large state which makes waste management difficult thereby leaving the state polluted.
He, however, said Planet Keepers are out to support the government and other relevant agencies to keep the planet safe for all.
“Planet Keepers is a brand of Hardams Recycling Ltd and we using that platform to help sensitise and also sanitise the environment against plastic pollution. Our hash tag is #kickoutplasticpollution. If you know, I hate to say that Oyo State is one of the dirtiest states in Nigeria because it’s very large. So we are here to help reduce the waste. Our slogan is ‘Waste to Wealth’ and we are trying to encourage people not to burn or trash their pet bottles.
“We have other projects also. We go to schools and encourage school children not to throw away bottles and they’re now gathering their bottles. We hope that through the bottles they gather, we can support them with school materials such as books, school fees and even scholarships,” he said.
He emphasised the harm plastic bottles cause to the aquatic life and encouraged people to drop their plastic waste as designated collection points in the state.
“This walk is going to be a monthly activity where we would go round Oyo State for sanitation while we sensitise the people against plastic waste and the wealth they can create through gathering their plastic waste. Other materials, like metals, rust and depreciate, when they get into the gutters or the ocean but plastics never depreciate, they stay under the water for years and nothing ever happen to them.
“The plastic bottle you throw in the ocean today will live for generations to come because they never depreciate so we encourage people not to throw them in the gutters or the ocean because it kills our fishes and spoil the aquatic but rather make it a source of income.
We have different collection centers spread across in the state and we also have recycle bins in strategic locations and we hope that together we would be able to rid our society of plastic waste,” he concluded.
The walk was sponsored by the Kayode Adamolekun Foundation who are also passionate about keeping and saving the planet. The walk began from the Challenge motor terminal through Ring Road and ended in JoyceB area of Ibadan.
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