GREEN Economy and Environment Minister Collins Nzovu has prodded Zambians to embrace a culture of taking personal responsibility to reduce littering.
Mr Nzovu said it was unfortunate that most citizens were culpable to indiscriminate littering of garbage, causing the country to suffer from the negative effects of climate change.
He was speaking in Lusaka yesterday when he received a donation of garbage bins worth K40, 000 from cooperating partners that included Standard Chartered Bank, Coca Cola, the Food and Agriculture
Organisation and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
This was in commemoration of the World Environment Day which falls on Monday under the theme: ‘Beat plastic pollution for a clean, green and healthy Zambia.
“When we were at this year’s Nc’wala traditional ceremony there were a lot of bins around but to my surprise, the garbage was littered around the bins. So the clarion call is that when we liter, we must remember that no one else will pick up that garbage apart from the person that threw it there,” Mr Nzovu said.
Speaking at the same briefing, Standard bank chief executive officer and managing director Sonny Zulu said it was the bank’s policy to support initiatives aimed at environmental protection.
“So support this cause, we have contributed K40, 000 which was used to procure the bins that we are donating today and this just goes to show the bank’s commitment towards the fight for a clean and healthy environment,” he said.
WWF Zambia country director Nachilala Nkombo said there was need for the country to migrate towards a complete elimination of plastic use.
She urged companies such as Coca Cola to revert to the use of reusable glass bottles for product packaging.
FAO Zambia country representative Suze Percy Filippini said the organisation was working closely with Zambia in improving environmental protection programmes.
Ms Filippini said the organisation had also contributed K42, 000 towards the purchase of branded t-shirts to enhance the awareness campaign for a clean environment.
And Coca Cola public affairs, communication and sustainability Fronscen Haloba said the company would consider the prospects of going plasticless.
Ms Haloba said the firm was committed to ensuring environmental protection but ensuring that the production process of beverages had little or no impact on communities.
