Industries take fight on plastic waste to schools

Kenyan manufacturers have teamed up to tackle plastic pollution through an initiative to educate students on the menace.

Under the initiative, students in Nairobi schools will be trained on the best practice of plastic waste management. Plastic waste bins will also be distributed in homes and schools.

Manufacturers will tour Nairobi institutions alongside plastic recycling firm Mr Green Africa and Wildlife Clubs of Kenya to encourage students to embrace plastic bottle waste management.

“Students can be a part of environmental transformation. We want you to be brand ambassadors who champion recycling among your peers in the community,” Kenya Association Manufacturers (KAM) Vice Chairman Mucai Kunyiha said on Friday at the launch of the initiative. Environment ministry Chief Administrative Secretary Mohammed Elmi, who launched the programme, said the government will facilitate collection of plastic bottle waste for recycling, treatment and re-use.

This is the latest move by local manufacturers to step up the fight against plastic pollution a year after they started a programme to collect and use re-use plastic bottles through partnerships with recycling firms.