The day after the celebration of the World Day against Plastic Waste, on July 05, 2024, Inades Formation Cameroun, Young UNICEF, Women in Climate Change and other civil society players working to combat climate change, took an active part in the second edition of the ecological sports walk called “Eco Walk”. The route of the walk ran from Carrefour Bastos to Mont Febe.
More than twenty participants gathered at the Bastos traffic circle in Yaoundé on July 6 to complete a 25 km route from the arteries of the Bastos district to the foot of Mount Fébé. The crowd of around 25 people, made up of young people and adults, all wore green polo shirts and carried large black plastic bags designed to contain plastic waste.
Now in its second year, “Eco Walk” involves jogging while collecting garbage, especially plastic bags, which will later be recycled. Two good deeds in one: “Running or walking contributes to good human health, and at the same time protects the environment, because most plastic waste is not biodegradable. According to environmental experts, it can take more than 100 years to degrade in nature. This waste is sometimes the cause of floods and other environmental disasters. So, the ECO WALK action contributes to doing good to our bodies and our environment”, confides the Inades-Formation Cameroun Advocacy Officer, a participant in this action.
Beyond the physical aspect, the aim of this ecological sports walk was to raise public awareness of the dangers of plastic waste. “The exercise seemed insurmountable at the outset, but we rose to the challenge, and as a bonus, we spread awareness messages for ecological citizenship”, confided another participant.
Since the launch of the “ECO WALK” concept a few months ago, the initiative has collected over 15 tonnes of plastic waste. This waste, collected in the streets after the eco-jogging sessions, is not burned. It is sent to recycling plants for processing. “We don’t throw away the garbage we collect. We give them another life. We collect waste and another part goes to the recycling structures that transform it”, says the vice-president of Women in Climate Change.
We look forward to the third edition.
Marguerite MOMHA, Communication Inades-Formation Cameroon
