Al Ahram Beverages Company (ABC) wants to reduce the pollution caused by its plastic waste in Egypt. Its ambition is to recycle 25% of used plastic bottles in the North African country by the end of 2022. A project that of course comes at a cost of 5 million Egyptian pounds ($260,800).
The Egyptian soft drinks company will provide part of the funds. The other part will be provided through the Dorna initiative, a collaboration between the Egyptian Ministry of the Environment, CID Consulting, PayMob and the Swiss multinational Nestlé. Dorna aims to encourage informal waste collectors to increase their capacity to collect and recycle plastic bottles.
Financing informal recyclers
Al Ahram will use the funds to improve the lives of more than 600 recycling workers in the city of May 15, Cairo governorate. The financial incentives will be paid on a monthly basis according to the amount of waste collected and will be paid into electronic wallets set up for all informal waste recyclers integrated into the scheme. This should encourage more action in the private sector, which is already very active in recycling in Egypt, while boosting their livelihoods.
Read also –
Environmentally, Al Ahram’s project will reduce plastic pollution in the streets and waterways (rivers, canals, seas, oceans, etc.) of the land of the pharaohs. The next step for the Egyptian soft drink company is to recycle (or reuse) 100% of its plastic bottles by the end of 2025. The project is part of the company’s overall “Brewing A Better World” strategy for sustainable development.
Inès Magoum