In what looks like a ground-breaking initiative, DevTrain Community and eTrash2Cash collaborated on the Plastic Community Project (PCP), a Beat Plastic Pollution Initiative in Makurdi, Benue State, with the support of the Innocent Chukwuma Social Impact Fellowship (ICSIF) from Lagos Business School and the Ford Foundation.
The project is aimed at addressing the plastic waste issue in Nigeria, engaging over 15 schools in collecting plastic waste to create a plastic-free community and mitigate climate change.
Despite encountering challenges such as election breaks and delays in obtaining approval from the Ministry of Education, the project achieved significant success, as it successfully established 16 Eco-Clubs, trained 120 environment champions, and distributed 200 tree seedlings, demonstrating the potential of innovative approaches to drive positive change and promote environmental sustainability in Nigeria.
Notably, it was the first of its kind to use sports to influence the mindset of school children in Benue State. The project, which ran from January to September 2023, addressed the significant plastic waste issue in Nigeria, where an estimated 2.5 million tonnes of the 32 million tonnes of annual waste is plastic.
The collaboration between these organisations served as a model for future efforts to address plastic waste and promote environmental sustainability in Nigeria. The success of the PCP demonstrated the potential for innovative approaches, such as using sports and advocacy, to drive positive change in communities and tackle pressing environmental challenges.
By Lubem Philip Myaornyi
