Each day, we collectively face environmental and social challenges that impact people around the world. One of these is the challenge of proper waste management which requires bold solutions.
To help address this challenge, The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF) has provided a grant to support local non-governmental organisation (NGO,) SWEEP Foundation, on its ‘Green Campus Project’ designed to facilitate the implementation of a comprehensive waste management programme across selected university campuses in Nigeria.
The pilot phase of this project will collaborate with selected higher educational institutions in Nigeria. The project will provide waste and environmental education, establish university campus community drop-off points and recycling hubs, while simultaneously providing an additional income stream for the campus community youth who participate in the program.
The implementation of this waste reduction scheme will facilitate the deployment of key infrastructures and mobile collection receptacles across participating institutions in the country. Overall, this program will help accelerate and improve the collection of discarded plastic bottles (PET) leveraging targeted awareness programs on campus community recycling.
The Green Campus Project is scheduled to flag off in the following universities- University of Ibadan, University of Benin, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, University of Port-Harcourt and Obafemi Awolowo University. The project will focus on galvanising support for more sustainable means of dealing with packaging waste through cost-effective aggregation models. It also aspires to eliminate waste incineration, a common practice in many institutions in Nigeria.
The project will support 250 students with training, logistics, PPE and other incentives in each campus-based recycling and waste collection hub as they volunteer at the various drop-off centers.
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Phillips Obuesi, president, SWEEP Foundation, reiterated the impact of the programme on the selected universities and surrounding communities saying, “University campuses suffer from indiscriminate waste disposal habits of its staff and students, mostly occasioned by low – level awareness and inadequate infrastructures to support proper waste management across these campuses.
Tertiary institutions as change agents in society play a central role in supporting students to forge more sustainable habits that are necessary to tackle plastic pollution. The Green Campus Project is, therefore, strategically positioned to lead the charge in these universities.”
Speaking on this project, the President of The Coca-Cola Foundation, Saadia Madsbjerg, said, “We recognise that student communities are critical stakeholders in our broad strategy to preserve and protect our ecosystem. We are proud to support this initiative which will not only improve the waste value chain of Campuses in Nigeria but will also help inspire an entire generation of environmental advocates.”
The Green Campus Project was officially launched at a flag-off ceremony on Wednesday, 5th April 2023, at the University of Ibadan. In collaboration with its local implementing partner in Ibadan, Recycledge, SWEEP Foundation will be mobilising corporate businesses, government agencies, and other stakeholders, to harness the power of partnership in addressing the plastic waste challenge in the University of Ibadan and its surrounding communities.
