Dubai: Nearly 1,000 volunteers teamed up with local authorities and non-government organisations in the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and in North African countries and collected 25 tonnes of waste to mark the World Oceans Day, celebrated every June 8 since 1992.

The initiative is part of a global Nestle employee volunteering initiative in more than 45 countries that aims to raise awareness and inspire responsible disposal of waste by cleaning up beaches and other water areas. The collected trash will be sent for sorting and recycling through local partners.

“Through this internal volunteering initiative, we aim to foster responsible behaviour, as change starts with ourselves,” said Yves Manghardt, Nestle Middle East CEO.

Nestle had announced last year its commitment to have 100 per cent of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025. This will also entail that none of its packaging, plastics included, ends up in landfills or as litter.

“We have a broader vision and action plan that outline our commitment to address the plastics packaging waste issue,” added Manghardt. “While we are committed to pursuing recycling options where feasible, we know that 100 per cent recyclability is not enough to successfully tackle the waste issue. We need to push the boundaries and do more.”