Nestlé volunteers join call for Clean Up Day

Volunteers from Uncle Tobys in Wahgunyah recently donned gloves and cleaned up Willows Reserve as part of the Clean Up Australia initiative.

Numerous bags of waste were found in the reserve with the clean-up crew working together properly disposing of the items.

With Nestlé aiming to play an active role in changing behaviour and raising public awareness about reducing plastic waste and recycling more, factory manager Jean Carlo de Lima said this is an opportunity to spark change from the inside out and remind employees of the importance of recycling right and disposing of waste correctly.

“It was fantastic to come together as a team, get out outdoors and create impactful change in our neighbourhood,” he said.

“Our goal for Clean Up Day was simple: to leave our local community cleaner than we found it. And we did!

“A big thanks to the Nestlé volunteers from our Uncle Tobys factory who removed rubbish from the environment.

“Cleaning up our environment is a fantastic reminder that small actions can make a big difference. Driving behaviour changes, starting from within our own factory, is just one way we are supporting the community and progressing our mission to ensure none of our packaging ends up in landfill or as litter.”

Nestlé has announced a series of specific actions to meet its commitment to make 100% of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025.

Along with driving behaviour change to ensure everyone knows how to dispose of packaging waste correctly, Nestlé is committed to creating a future where cleverly designed packaging, innovative new materials, better recycling infrastructure and reusable or refillable packaging can prevent waste from entering the land and oceans in the first instance.

The work has already seen many packs change, including moving the entire Smarties range to paper packaging, KitKat four finger becoming the first food grade soft plastic in Australia wrapped with 30% recycled plastic (using mass balance), and over 16 tonnes of plastic removed from the packaging of the Purina Petcare accessories and health range.

Pip Kiernan, Chair of Clean Up Australia, said the state of the environment means people are expecting their employers – and brands – to show leadership and be true stewards for the future.

“When we take time to connect with the environment and clean it up, we become more conscious of our environmental footprint,” she said.

“We’re seeing a real drive amongst the Australian population to take action, we know people want to reduce their environmental impact. These efforts by the team at Nestlé have made a real difference at Willows Reserve.”

Around Oceania, approximately 450 Nestlé volunteers across four countries will clean up their local parks, reserves and waterways