Clean up campaign:

Limbe II Council collects over 2000kg of banned plastics

By AminatehNkemngu

Duncan Molindo

As part of ongoing effort to keep its environment clean and safe from any form of degradation, the Limbe II Council, Mokundange recently collected about 2000 kilograms of banned plastics from around the municipality.

The quantity of banned plastics collected was made public during a ceremony to hand over prizes to participants in a clean up campaign that took place in the council chambers on Wednesday 15 December 2016.

                Speaking at the handing over ceremony, the mayor of the Limbe II council, Duncan Molindo said the council has been working in partnership with a company known as NAMe Recycling to make sure that all the non biodegradable plastics in the municipality are collected and properly disposed of. He said the action is to keep the environment clean especially at a time when the government, through the Ministry of Environment and Nature Protection has given firm instructions for appropriate measures to be taken to ensure that banned plastics do not litter the environment.

                To this end, Mayor Duncan Molindo said through decentralized funds received from the Ministry of the Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development, the council engaged NAMe Recycling to mobilize the community and ensure that all banned plastics are collected.

                Besides the close to 2000 tons already collected from other parts of the municipality, the Mayor further disclosed that another 900 kilograms were collected from the inner bowls of the LimbeOmnisport Stadium during the just ended Female AFCON, given that the stadium is located in the Limbe II municipality. Another 1000 kilogrammes were collected from around the stadium during the competition.

                The Secretary General to the Limbe II Council, MrsAshu nee EposiLingondo on her part, pointed out that the council intends to collect 48 tons of banned plastics over a period of twelve months. She explained that the choice of material, rather than cash prizes to those who took part in the collection campaign is because the gifts offered to them will last longer and remain in their memory as compared to cash which can be consumed in just one day. She enjoined the local population which took part in the campaign not to give up as many more prizes will be offered them in the days ahead.

                The Director of NAMe Recycling, on behalf of his company remarked that a similar exercise will be organized to reward community members who participate in the cleaning exercise.

The Representative of the community members who took part in the gabbage collection exercise pointed out that the job of collecting plastics is very challenging given that most of the times they are seen as mad people and even treated with contempt even by family members who always discourage them from taking part in such campaigns.

                The prizes that were handed over to the participants in the campaign ranged from soap to fans, kerosene stoves, kitchen utensils, DVD players amongst other items.

                Meantime, the quality and quantity of prizes is expected to be improved during the next award ceremony in January 2017.