From Tony John, Port Harcourt
Twelve-year-old David Pepple, a Junior Secondary School student of Victory Christian College, Elelenwo, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has commenced his Neighbourhood 2 Neighbourhood plastic hunt/campaign aimed at tackling plastic waste in the environment.
Recently, Pepple carried his campaign to his alma mata, Sovina Model Primary School, Elelenwo, where he challenged pupils of the school to support him in the campaign by simply donating their plastic waste to him for recycling.
He told the pupils that plastic wastes were the greatest waste challenge in the world. And as his contribution to tackle the challenge, he began a series of charity waste-to-wealth artistic creations, exhibitions, inventions, animations, campaigns and road shows.
The teenager said he had worked with local and international organisations, which had hosted, collaborated and partnered with him and his foundations, Ambassador David Pepple and Ayomide and Ibitamuno Children Foundation, to solve this challenge.
He listed some of the organisations as Society of Nigerian Artist, Wider Perspective Limited, Salvation Ministry, Alliance Francaise, Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt Chambers of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, Centre for Creative Development Strategies, in collaboration with the Embassy of France in Nigeria.
He said: “I am developing an app to help curb the indiscriminate dumping of plastic waste material in the environment and to enable people donate plastic waste to me. Another app I am developing is an emergency response app to curb incidents of child abuse in the society.
“I am an African mathematics ambassador, a charter class graduate of The Emerging Africa Leadership and Entrepreneurship Academy. I was also selected for the Cadbury Bournvita Tech Boot Camp 2021 edition.
“I am here for my special programne, tagged Neighborhood 2 Neighborhood Plastic Hunt/Campaign. The essence of this project is to create awareness, educate, inform and sensitize people on the importance of proper plastic waste management. I am also collecting plastic waste for recycling to enable me fund my charity initiatives. So far, I have recycled over 3.5 tonnes of plastic waste and still counting.”
He reeled out to the pupils several statistics on plastics wastes and why they should support him in his fight to curb the global challenge of poliferation of plastics waste.
Pepple further said: “Plastic waste constitutes the greatest environmental waste challenge in the world today, as only 9 per cent of all plastic produced are recycled. He added that plastic waste “is one of the major causes of global warning.”
The teenager described himself as a waste-to-wealth artist/recycler, bead-maker, animator, child rights and environmental rights ambassador/advocate, inventor and philanthropist. According to him, every year, up to five trillion disposable plastic bags are used, with 50 per cent of the total in single use.
He added: “We throw away enough plastic to circle the earth four times every year. Plastic waste is responsible for killing over one million sea birds and other sea creatures.
“Over 8.3 billion metric tonnes of plastic waste has gone into the oceans since 1950s. Most of this was generated in the last 20 years and only 23 per cent has been recycled.”
On how to tackle plastic waste, he proposed waste segregation, which would make for easy recycling at the appropriate place and with right method.
He also proposed the Three R’s in plastic waste management, reuse, reduce and recycle. He explained that reuse involves where plastics can be used repeatedly; reduce means reducing consumption of a thing or using an environmentally friendly alternative, while recycle means turning what you have to other useful things.
He told the pupils that plastics waste management was everybody’s business, saying, “Let’s secure our future; donate plastics to me to fund my charity initiatives.”
In her comments, head of administration, Sovina Model School, Miss Queeneth Nwanekezie, described Pepple as very brave, saying she admired him for that.
“He’s still a young child; and at this age already looking at life this way and having this perception is very impressive. We are glad that he is doing this.
“Just like he said, he was our student who graduated from the primary section and through the years he was with us, he was an exceptional child. So, I’m not exactly surprised that he is doing this and trying to find a need and to solve it. To me, that is what success is. This is not the first campaign he is being involved with.
“Some years ago, he did something with Indomie that helped to raise money for the medical assistance for his brother abroad and we were very impressed and happy with him. His younger brother had a health challenge and as a result of his campaign and several things he did, the boy received some help. And today, he is looking at plastics.
“And we all know that proliferation of plastic waste is a major problem because it doesn’t decompose and so constitutes a lot of nuisance everywhere. For him to go into this campaign, getting the plastics and sending them for recycling, is helping to solve a global challenge.”
“We really commend him for that and we pray for him as well that he will only continue to increase in his endeavour, make a huge success and make a change in the would, make a change for himself and his family, as well. So, we are very glad and we will continue to support him in any way we can.”