Airtel Zambia Hands Over Electronic Waste To Commemorate World Environment Day

As part of the 2022 World Environment Day commemorations, Airtel Networks Zambia Plc yesterday handed over electronic waste collected from within the business and members of staff to TCH E Waste company giving emphasis to this year’s theme of “Only One Earth.”

It is Airtel’s belief that nothing can be achieved if communities in all our markets cannot survive and thrive as a result of environmental change.

Handing over the electronic waste to TCH E Waste Company, Airtel Zambia’s Sustainability Champion, and Supply Chain Director Martin Jowi, said issues of environmental protection were non -negotiable for Airtel as it was a pressing reality that needed everyone’s input.

“Our ambition, through our very elaborate Sustainability Policy is to address and minimise the impact of our operations on the environment. This is critical for the world we live in and as we know Electronic Waste contains toxic substances and it is for this reason that when a product is totally unusable or even broken, instead of just being thrown in bins, it is important that a certified e-waste hauler or recycler picks up the waste to manage it in an environmentally accepted manner,” Mr Jowi said.

Adding: “Staff of Airtel Zambia came together and brought all their old and dysfunctional electronic gadgets which we put together with other business equipment which was non functional to have this load that we see here today.”
And receiving the electronic waste on behalf of TCH E Waste company, its Managing Director, Mr Towa Chilongo said Airtel had for a long time been involved in waste management issues and a great partner on environmental programs.

“We are grateful for the partnership we have with Airtel, and we are glad to note that the mobile service provider has played a pivotal role in the disposal of electronic waste so it is good to be here to talk to staff about issues that not only concern Airtel as a company but all of us at an individual level. I know that generally we all like to hold on to things that we have used even though they are non-functional. We are hoarders. But we need to start changing our mind sets and be able to let go of our old phones, television sets and so on and take them to companies like ours that know how to dispose of them safely,” Mr Chilongo said.

Also speaking during the handover, Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) Operations Director, Mr Morrison Songwe said ZEMA was excited to be a part of the initiative by Airtel to collect electronic waste from internal staff.

“This is a very welcome move to be able to put together an activity such as this one where Airtel employees are encouraged to bring waste which is in turn being disposed in an environmentally safe way through the TCH E Waste Company. I know we all are guilty of holding onto things we do not need like non-working appliances such as irons and kettles, but this is our chance to bring them in for them to be properly disposed,” Mr. Songwe said when addressing Airtel staff.

Source: Airtel Zambia