By Maduka Nweke
Lafarge Africa Plc has announced the celebration of its ‘2021 Geocycle Week’ with the theme ‘Think Planet, Think Solutions’ to coincide with the World Clean-up Day on September 18th. Geocycle partnered with the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA) to commemorate the World Clean Up Day with a cleaning exercise at Bariga market in Lagos. Employees and volunteers from Lafarge Africa Plc and the FBRA recycling partners participated in the cleaning exercise.
Head of Geocycle, Lafarge Africa, Daniel Adedokun, said: “At Lafarge, our commitment to sustainability is unwavering. We drive a circular economy across everything we do to keep materials in use for as long as possible, giving them a second life – and a third and a fourth – and using only what is needed to preserve nature. Improving waste collection is fundamental to advancing the circular economy – and to reducing marine litter.”
The Commercial Manager, Geocycle, Temitope Dosumu during the cleanup event said: ‘The purpose of today’s cleaning event is to sensitise people within Bariga community and its environs on the importance of sorting waste from source and cleaning up the environment and streets. This will go a long way to reduce the volume of waste that goes to the dump sites and drainages and will prevent poor waste management. The World Clean Up Day is a reminder that we all have a part to play in attaining a zero-waste future.”
Seventy-five percent of all plastics ever produced have accumulated in landfills and the natural environment. The world is on track to add 12 billion more tons to that amount by 2050, or more than double the already alarming amount.
Adedokun continued: “Geocycle is stepping up to this challenge by helping businesses achieve plastic neutrality. This year, Geocycle week’s theme is ‘Think Planet Think Solutions’. In Nigeria, Geocycle has partnered with some industries driving plastic neutrality since 2018. In 2020, 70,000 tons of various types of waste, representing 9% of its energy across the country, was co-processed in our cement kilns.
“The world is currently faced with the worst climate change occurrences in recent history; frequent and intense droughts, storms, heat waves, rising sea levels, melting glaciers and warming oceans. As such, every available measure at our disposal as a race must be utilised in ensuring a greener and smarter world that works for all.”
Lafarge Africa Plc is a member of the Holcim group, the world’s leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions. The Group is committed to building progress for people and the plant in line with the four pillars of their sustainability strategy including Climate and Energy, Circular Economy, Environment and Community.