RIBENA, TETRA PAK DONATE RECYCLED FURNITURE TO SCHOOLS

Ribena in partnership with Tetra Pak West Africa recently handed over 80 desk and chair units made from recycled empty packs of Ribena to the LOTS Foundation in Dustbin Estate in Ajegunle area of Lagos State.  This was done as they concluded the “Drink it, Flatten it and Bin it” recycling campaign with twenty schools in Lagos State.  The Foundation in turn handed the donated furniture over to different primary schools in the dumpsite area.

Speaking at the handover event, Mr Olawale Akanbi of GlaxoSmithKline, makers of Ribena, said, “The recycle project with primary school children has proven a worthy effort for us as an organisation whose corporate vision is to help people everywhere, do more, feel better and live longer. The furniture we are donating is made from Ribena packs which ordinarily would have been lying somewhere constituting environmental hazards in the drainage system or landfill.”

The Ribena Tetra Pak “Drink it, Flatten it and Bin it” recycling campaign, was strategically executed through children in select primary schools in Lagos State. According to the Ribena Brand Manager, “The project which has a ‘catch them young’ undertone, was designed to help children learn and imbibe the simple habit of taking care of the environment by disposing their waste items properly and also by turning their waste into useful items through recycling. We believe the lessons from the project will stay with the children as they grow into adults.”

Recycling is being adopted globally as a method of reducing the devastating effect of waste on the environment generally. Pollutions, expanding landfill, greenhouse effect and ozone layer depletion are some of the problems associated with waste management all over the world. Unfortunately, these also have negative health implications for human beings as well. “The project is therefore a subtle appeal to the larger society to pay a little more attention to the impact of waste management. Our environmental problem is a challenge for everyone and we have tried to use this project to raise awareness around the issues” added Mr Akanbi

The Tetra Pak West Africa Environment Manager, Itunu Ogundepo, added that everyone has a part to play in protecting the environment; children especially, which is what this project is all about. We are glad that through this project, children now know that every time they pick up a pack of Ribena they will understand that they have done something really special in the lives of other less privileged children. They will also be confident that they are protecting their environment.”

Tetra Pak cartons, which hold the Ribena drinks, are made from materials which, when separated or recycled as a whole,  can be transformed into a wide variety of materials including cardboard boxes, paper stationary benches, chairs, books, roofing sheets and much more.  This project, in particular is the first of its kind as this is the first time in West Africa that Tetra Pak cartons have been recycled into furniture. “We are particularly excited to see that as a result of the Ribena – Tetra Pak “Drink it, Flatten it and Bin it” campaign, the children from these schools will be the first to experience recycled furniture which will create a more  conducive environment for learning,” she concluded.

Apostle Jesse Dele, the Head Teacher of Lion of Judah Nursery and Primary School, one of the beneficiaries of the furniture donated by Ribena and Tetra Pak, spoke on behalf of the other beneficiaries in the community. He expressed their gratitude to Ribena and Tetra Pak and most especially the children from the twenty schools who participated and contributed to the success of the project. “Because of all your efforts, the children here can now enjoy a better learning environment. Thank you very much” he said. Sunboss Nursery and Primary School and Chriswill Nursery and Primary School also benefitted from the donation. It was further revealed that the gesture will be extended to more schools in the Dustbin Estate in the near future.