The High Commissions of Canada and the United Kingdom launched the "Walk and Clean" campaign on 12 May 2023 in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The initiative, supported by the Cameroonian recycling company Namé Recycling, aims to reduce plastic pollution in the Central African country.
On the morning of Friday 12 May 2023, the weather is favourable. Not far from the Vallée Nlongkak crossroads in Yaoundé, the political capital of Cameroon, a crowd of people are busy, wearing gangs, masks and acquiring rubbish bags in anticipation of the launch of the “Walk and Clean” campaign, a joint initiative of the Canadian and British High Commissions in Cameroon.
The UK High Commissioner to Cameroon, Christian Dennys-McClure, kicked off the operation at 8:30am. The campaign is essentially based on the collection of plastic and aluminium waste in the streets of Yaounde.
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To set the tone, dozens of participants at the launch of the “Walk and Clean” campaign walked several kilometres, collecting plastic bottles and packaging, as well as used aluminium products. “The impact will be the protection of the health of the populations of the city of Yaoundé. There is a direct link between waste and diseases like cholera. You can make the environment healthier with this kind of action,” explains Pamela Hay, Trade Advisor at the Canadian High Commission in Cameroon.
Launching a green network
The waste collected as part of this operation will be taken to the Namé Recycling company’s site in Yaoundé. In this centre, the waste will be recycled into pallets, flakes or raw materials for industry.
To take this waste management approach further, a “green network” was launched on 12 May 2023 in Yaoundé. “Companies and diplomatic missions can join this network which should contribute to the improvement of policies for the protection of the environment,” explains Christian Dennys-McClure, UK High Commissioner to Cameroon.
Inès Magoum
