Network of Organizations Working with People with Disabilities (NOWPDP) has launched in partnership with Philip Morris (Pakistan) Limited (PMPKL), an affiliate of Philip Morris International (PMI), a recycling facility in Karachi to facilitate waste management and promote environmental sustainability. Run entirely by Persons with Disability, the facility employs 11 individuals including three women.
Working on the principles of reduce, reuse, and revive, the newly-launched facility creates an ecosystem to enable an end-to-end waste management solution. A network of drivers with waste collection vehicles have been created who collect waste from litter hotspots around the city. The waste is brought back to the recycling facility, where it is sorted and solid wastes, including plastic are broken down through a crushing process which is scheduled once a week, in view of environmental safety. They are then remodeled and revived into reusable items.
As per details besides trainings on waste management and recycling, the initiative deploys vehicles that collect waste from different parts of the city. These vehicles have been adapted to be inclusive of persons with disabilities. Once waste is collected, it is sorted at the facility, cleaned and then crushed into pellets. The pet bottles and crushed pellets, which are a high demand material, are sold directly to the market and also upcycled into items of everyday use. The textile division also promotes reusable cloth bags that are designed by the team and stitched by the trained individuals. Once fully trained, the individuals can earn an average monthly income of Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000.
Sadia Dada, Director Communications PMPKL, said, “The challenge of littering is not new to our country nor the efforts to combat it. Lack of awareness and infrastructure for disposal are key drivers abetting this bad habit adding that most important is how minor changes in the way we work can create room for each and every individual of society to be a part of it.”