The morning sun broke over Oke-Arin Market in Lagos, but the usual bustle of trade came with something more. There was the steady rhythm of sweeping, sorting, and collecting waste.
It was a scene unfolding across 11 Nigerian cities, where a growing force of Nestlé employees and community partners had one shared mission: to clean up the environment and spark a nationwide conversation.
This effort was not a token gesture. It was part of Nestlé Nigeria’s sixth annual clean-up and community sensitization campaign, a hands-on initiative executed under the Nestlé Cares platform, which encourages employee volunteerism.
This year’s campaign mobilized 516 volunteers across high-traffic market areas in cities like Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Jos, Sagamu, Ibadan, and Port Harcourt.
In just one sweep, the team removed over 5,600 kilograms of solid waste and nearly 380 kilograms of recyclable plastic. But the numbers only tell part of the story. At the heart of the clean-up was a deeper ambition to drive long-term environmental awareness at the grassroots level.
Victoria Uwadoka, Nestlé Nigeria’s Lead for Corporate Communications, Public Affairs, and Sustainability, explained the motivation behind the campaign.
Speaking during the Lagos leg of the initiative, she connected the effort to the 2025 World Environment Day theme, “Curbing Plastic Pollution.”
“Our vision of a waste-free future is something we actively work toward every day. We are not only addressing our own operations. We are building partnerships, engaging communities, and empowering our employees to be agents of change,” she said.
This purpose is further reflected in Nestlé’s Employee Plastics Collection Scheme (EPCS), launched in 2022. The scheme encourages staff to collect and submit plastic waste from home for proper recycling.
Through this alone, Nestlé has diverted 5,922 kilograms of plastic away from landfills. Since 2019, the company has recovered more than 61,000 metric tons of plastic waste from the environment through its broader initiatives.
The campaign is supported by African Clean-Up Initiative (ACI) and several leading recycling partners including Wecyclers, Chanja Datti, Alef Recycling, and MECOM. Together, they are advancing the circular economy and strengthening Nigeria’s waste recovery ecosystem.
Dr. Alex Akhigbe, founder of ACI, highlighted the power of consistent action.
“This is more than a clean-up. It is a community-driven sustainability movement. Every single plastic bottle collected, and every conversation we start, helps to build a more conscious society. Our goal is to raise a generation that takes pride in protecting their environment,” he said.
The clean-up locations were strategically chosen based on their waste burden and market influence. Markets like Bodija in Ibadan, Abubakar Rimi in Kano, and Holyghost in Enugu became transformation points where traders, residents, and local leaders joined hands with Nestlé volunteers.
What makes the campaign unique is its balance of corporate responsibility and community participation. The company did not simply deploy resources. It rolled up its sleeves and invited Nigerians to do the same.
From Lagos to Awka, the message was clear. Real environmental change begins with everyday action. And Nestlé Nigeria is showing what that looks like in practice.
The vision is ambitious, but the strategy is rooted in something simple: awareness, collaboration, and accountability. As more companies take up the sustainability mantle, Nestlé continues to offer a clear example of what is possible when impact takes priority over publicity.
