Stop Marine Plastic Pollution Awareness Walk that attracted 200 local people in Mombasa;
MAARUFU MOHAMED-GOLFNEWSLINKS;
Team Baba, main organizer and one of the finalist teams from the Mombasa Plastic Prize, hosted a super successful awareness walk on the theme of “Stop Marine Plastic Pollution” on Saturday May 6th, 2023.
The sensitization activity kicked off at Treasury Square at 10am and featured a walk along Moi Avenue to Pembe Za Ndovu (Tusks)and back to Swahili pot Hub where the workshop on plastic waste management was held.
There were stops along the way to inform the public about the negative impacts of plastic pollution on the environment, human health, and economy and ways of reducing our plastic footprint.
Participants had the opportunity to interact and speak with onlookers to capture their views on how they currently manage plastic waste.
The event was open to everyone who cares about the health of the oceans and wants to take action to reduce plastic pollution.
The main organizers of the event were Team Baba supported by partners including Baus Taka Enterprise, Swahili pot Hub Foundation, Kenya Wildlife Services, County Government of Mombasa (Department of Environment and Solid Waste), Leta Franchise, Alliance Francaise Mombasa, Mombasa Plastics Prize, and Africa for SDGs, The Gentlemen Kenya, and Royalty Youth Entertainment Group.
Product and Programme Manager of Team Baba who is also the organizer of the Stop Plastic Waste Awareness Walk, Tony Odipo said over 5,000 people were reached mostly onside lookers on the streets with the messaging and 200 directly engaged in the activity joined the walk and workshop on good practices for management of plastic waste.
He said the goal of the event was to raise awareness about the impact of plastic pollution on oceans and marine life.
“The Mombasa Plastics Prize aims to encourage innovation and awareness among aspiring entrepreneurs and leaders in Mombasa County, by inspiring the development of solutions that tackle the problem of marine plastic waste mismanagement within informal settlements. This prize builds on the work of the Afri-Plastics Challenge, funded by Global Affairs Canada, which aims to reduce marine plastics in sub-Saharan African countries by developing and scaling innovative solutions to plastic mismanagement, “said Odipo.
He pointed out that Plastic pollution is a global problem that threatens the health of our oceans and the creatures that inhabit them and that every year, millions of tons of plastic waste end up in oceans, harming marine life and ecosystems.
Odipo explained that in Mombasa, 850 metric tons of waste are generated per day and approximately 20% of this waste is plastic.
“Out of the total solid waste generated in Mombasa, 46% is collected, and only 5% is recycled while across Kenya, 37,000 tons of this plastic waste leaks into the ocean every year “said Odipo.
He said the Stop Marine Plastic Pollution Awareness Walk is an opportunity to come together and take action to address this issue.
Odipo said a combination of a walk on the streets combined with music and dance performances with messaging of ‘No Plastic Pollution’ will drive the desirable behaviors among the public regarding plastic waste management.
“In the end, we want to see people adopting good behaviors relating to plastic waste management like proper disposal, adoption of reusable water bottles, segregation, and recycling, “said Odipo.
Co-founder and Executive Director of Baus Taka Enterprise Dr. Tayba Hatimy said “We believe that it is important to take action to address plastic pollution in our oceans. By coming together and raising awareness about this issue, we can make a difference and work towards a cleaner, healthier future for our planet.”
ENDS;