Chief Secretary Gilgit-Baltistan Abrar Ahmad Mirza inaugurates the machine to facilitate Gilgit-Baltistan Waste Management Company for smart waste management.
Staying true to its vision for a waste-free future, Nestlé Pakistan recently installed the first waste segregation machine in Gilgit, under its Clean Gilgit-Baltistan Project.
Inaugurated by Chief Secretary Gilgit-Baltistan Abrar Ahmad Mirza, the machine is situated in one of Gilgit-Baltistan Waste Management Company’s collection sites and will facilitate the sorting and segregation of different types of plastics and paper waste ushering in smart waste management in the region.
Acknowledging Nestlé’s contribution, Chief Secretary Gilgit-Baltistan Abrar Ahmad Mirza said, “We are delighted that Nestlé is making great efforts to reduce packaging waste in the region, and the progress of Clean Gilgit Baltistan Project is a testament in this regard.”
Earlier, as part of the CGBP program, Nestlé installed three compressing and baling machines, one each in Gilgit, Hunza and Skardu. The company also installed 122 benches and waste bins made of recycled plastic at popular tourist spots in the region and donated 15,000 reusable bags for distribution among the communities. In the last five year, these efforts culminated into waste management facilitation of over 6000 tons of plastic packaging in the region, making a positive environmental impact.
Highlighting Nestlé’s global vision, Sheikh Waqar Ahmad, Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, Nestlé Pakistan, said, “We are accelerating our actions to reduce the environmental impact of various kinds of packaging waste. Our vision is that none of our packaging, including plastics, ends up in landfill nor in oceans, lakes and rivers.”
“Tackling packaging waste requires a collective action of leveraging public-private partnerships to find improved solutions to reduce, reuse and recycle,” he added.
Senior Minister of Local Government & Rural Development Abdul Hameed, Minister for Planning & Development Raja Nasir Ali Khan, Commissioners of Gilgit & Hunza, and other senior government officials representing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Gilgit-Baltistan Waste Management Company (GBWMC) were also present on the occasion.
Under the CGBP program, Nestlé Pakistan has committed to donating a Waste Segregation Machine for Skardu, installing an additional 100 benches in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, and launching Waste Management training for the hospitality sector in partnership with GBWMC and EPA, among other activities in 2025.
Gilgit-Baltistan is major tourist destination in Pakistan, serving as a hub for trekking and mountaineering expeditions in the Karakoram mountain range.
This initiative marks Nestlé Pakistan’s efforts to reduce the environmental impact of packaging waste by improving its management and recycling, in line with UN Sustainable Development Goals 12 and 17 – Responsible Consumption & Production and Partnership for Goals.
