Coliba launches Plastic waste collection community buyback centre in Accra

Coliba, a waste management organization together with Voltic and the Mohinani Group, as partners have launched a permanent community buyback centre for plastic waste recovery in Glefe, Dansoman, a suburb of Accra.The project was financialy supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Netherlands Embassy .

The centre aims to offer incentives to local communities to collect plastic bottles, aluminium cans and other forms of plastics such as flexible plastics for sale to the organization.

Chief Executive of Coliba, Prince Kwame Agbata, indicated that, the establishment of the centre would create 7 direct jobs and offer services to over 1000 persons in the community.

He disclosed that the organization is targeting to collect more than 5.6 tons of plastic waste per month, resulting in about 67 tons per year which can earn the community about GHs 2800.00 every month.

“Everyone can join the programme and benefit from rewards in the form of food items and cash in return for plastic. Our goal is to motivate people to collect more plastic waste in their community for recycling,” he added.

The Managing Director of Voltic, Francois Gazania, expressed his appreciation to the partners, stating that, when Voltic started the recycle programme in partnership with Coliba in 2018, sustainability and inclusiveness were the main aims and objectives.

“I am happy to see the implementation of this waste recovery centre as one of the critical paths of managing post-consumer waste recovery. We look forward to many more of such innovations and partnerships that impact environmentally, socially, and economically even as industry continues to discuss a sustainable financial model towards plastic waste management in Ghana”, he added.

Head of Climate and Environment Cluster of UNDP, Paolo Dalla Stella lauded the initiative because it would help facilitate the waste collection for recycling through direct involvement.

“The UNDP sees this community buyback initiative as laudable as this will facilitate waste collection for recycling with the direct involvement of the communities. We will encourage all the winners of our ’Waste’ Recovery Innovation Challenge to use the seed funding received to attract more partnerships to support plastic waste management efforts in the country,” she noted.

The initiative which was inspired by the success of its community buyback program is a monthly volunteering program organised every 3rd Saturday of the month.

The programme came into existence in June 2019 when Coliba and its partners like Voltic, Coca-Cola, Ghana Recycling Initiative by Private Enterprises (GRIPE), Young Africa Leaders Initiative and Green Legends came together to reach low income and coastal communities with high presence of plastic pollution.

Source: Eric Nii Sackey || [email protected]