Islamabad, (Parliament Times) : Philip Morris (Pakistan) Limited (“PMPKL”) partnered with SEED Ventures (Social Entrepreneurship and Equity Development) to carry out #MissionCleanerPakistan, an anti-littering project (“Project”) aimed at raising awareness across Pakistan regarding proper disposal, promoting behavioral change and supporting the required infrastructure for proper disposal.
Under this Project, PMPKL has carried out 20 anti-littering drives across Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar and Balakot within the last year with an aim to create a movement which instills proper waste disposal habits in our communities and to raise awareness about the impact littering has on our environment. More than 2400 volunteers comprising of women, men, and transgenders have been engaged during the drives and over 4000 KGs of trash have been collected. The recyclable portion of the waste was recycled in a sustainable manner through the PMPKL’s recycling partners while the non-recyclable portion of the waste was turned into an art piece which serves to represent the ecological disaster that is imminent if the public continue the current method of waste disposal.
Andleeb Uroos Ahmed, Head of Communications at PMPKL, while talking about the initiative said, “Just like around the world, the challenge of littering is not new to our country, nor are the efforts to combat it. The natural environment should remain unspoiled, beautiful, and litter-free. Through this Project, we at Philip Morris (Pakistan) Limited, are glad to add our voice in the fight against littering and for sustainability.”
Shaista Ayesha, Vice president EYDS and CEO of Seed Ventures sharing her thoughts about the project said, “The occurrence of littering varies across the world, but, in general, it is linked to behavioral attitudes and availability of a waste disposal infrastructure. We hope that through this partnership we are able to change the habit of littering in our communities.”
Philip Morris (Pakistan) Limited aims to take this initiative further and continue to raise awareness through art pieces made from non-recyclable trash across the major cities of Pakistan.