A plastic waste collection project has been launched in Ivory Coast. It is called “All for a responsible management of plastics”. It will be implemented by the Swiss food company Nestlé. Through this project, 325 tonnes of plastic waste will be collected in Ivory Coast.
For the launch of this project, the National Waste Management Agency (ANAGED) of Ivory Coast and Nestlé signed a partnership agreement on the 25th February 2020 in Abidjan, the capital of Ivory Coast. Nestlé and ANAGED are thus strengthening strategies for better plastic waste management in the country.
Nestlé’s plastic waste management project in Ivory Coast will be based on four business models. The first model is called Take Back and it will collect 15 tonnes of waste through a mobile application that will be created. The second model is called waste collection at the market, to pick 30 tonnes of plastic packaging in the markets that will be selected by the National Waste Management Agency (ANAGED) and Nestlé. The business model called Plastic waste collectors will involve the collection of 130 tonnes of plastic waste. Thirdly, Recyplast, the latest business model, aims to collect 150 tonnes of non-biodegradable waste through the boxes. The boxes will be installed in the neighbourhoods of the Grand-Bassam commune, located 43 kilometres east of Abidjan.
The Swiss multinational Nestlé will play an active role in the development of efficient collection, sorting and recycling systems in the country. It will work with national value chain partners and industry associations to explore different packaging solutions. This will reduce the use of plastic and facilitate the recycling of plastic waste. “The protocol should enable Nestlé to properly label its packaging with information that would help consumers better manage their plastic waste, increase the proportion of recycled plastics in its packaging to promote a circular economy,” says Nestlé Chairman and CEO Ulf Mark Schneider.
The “All for responsible plastic management” project is being launched while another plastic waste collection and recycling programme is underway in Treichville, a locality in the district of Abidjan. The operation was launched in October 2019 by the municipality of Triechville and ANAGED. The project is called “I sort my plastic at the market”. It is intended to clear the two largest markets of the commune (Treichville and Belleville) of plastic waste over a period of six months. A memorandum of understanding was signed to this effect at the Triechville town council by the Managing Director of Nestlé Ivory Coast, Thomas Caso, and the mayor of the town, Boto M’bouké.
According to the Ministry of Health, Environment and Sustainable Development, these plastic waste collection projects come at the right time. The country’s sanitation facilities are facing difficulties because of plastic bags that obstruct the flow of rainwater during the rainy season.
Inès Magoum