By Rosemary Ogbonna
Nestlé Nigeria and its coalition partners have recovered 4,556 kilogrammes of waste during the 2026 World Environment Day community sensitisation and clean-up campaign held across 12 locations nationwide.
The company said 424 volunteers, community members and stakeholders participated in coordinated clean-up and sensitisation activities to promote environmental stewardship and responsible waste management.
According to the African Clean-Up Initiative, ACI, and the Recyclers Association of Nigeria, RAN, the campaign yielded 4,507.8kg of solid waste and 48.2kg of recyclable waste.
The exercise took place in Lagos, Abuja, Agbara, Jos, Kano, Enugu, Awka, Ota, Abaji, Sagamu, Port Harcourt and Ibadan.
Corporate Affairs Manager Toju Egbebi said the recovered waste was channelled through appropriate recycling and disposal pathways to create cleaner public spaces and reduce waste leakage into the environment.
Egbebi said the nationwide activation was driven by Nestlé Cares volunteers, the company’s employee volunteering programme, and volunteers from 15 organisations in the coalition unveiled ahead of World Environment Day.
The initiative was delivered through a multi-stakeholder framework involving government institutions, regulators, industry platforms, development partners and recyclers to align with national environmental priorities.
Lead Corporate Communications, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Nestlé Nigeria, Victoria Uwadoka, said lasting environmental progress depends on communities seeing themselves as participants, not observers.
“What encouraged us most this year was not only the volume of waste recovered, but the willingness of volunteers, partners and community members to work together towards a shared goal. Lasting environmental progress depends on that sense of collective ownership,” Uwadoka said.
At the Abuja activation, the Minister of Environment, represented by Director of Pollution Control and Environmental Health, Federal Ministry of Environment, Adeola Omotunde, said addressing environmental challenges requires consistent action at all levels.
She said the initiative shows how government, private sector and communities can work together to drive responsible environmental practices.
Country Manager representative of the National Plastics Action Partnership, Esther Chibueyin Fagbo, said Nigeria’s plastic pollution challenge requires bold and collaborative action.
“We are proud to have supported this effort and look forward to continuing our collaboration to advance circular economy solutions that create environmental and economic value,” Fagbo said.