Bereaved families can now bury their dead in coffins made from recycled cardboards or cartons.
Christened Eco-Jeneza, the coffin is made out of bio-degradable materials and has been endorsed by the National Environmental Management Authority as an environmentally-friendly way to bury the dead.
The name of the coffin is derived from the prefix ‘eco’, which stands for the environment while jeneza is the Kiswahili word for a coffin.
The innovation challenges a culture of burying the dead in wooden caskets.
But the manufacturer, East African Packaging Industries, says the Eco-Jeneza is in line with the African culture where burial is simplified and does not hurt the environment.
“We should carry on with cultures that are beneficial to us and the environment,” Mr Meshack Dwallow, an EAPI official, said last week at the launch of the coffin.
Irrespective of your faith, it is clear that nature intended our bodies be reunited with the earth, Mr Dwallow added.
He said the coffins are made from cast-off materials thereby reducing wastage and creating more jobs for those who will collect the recycled paper.
The Eco-Jeneza resembles the normal coffin and comes in three sizes; small, medium and large with a price range of Sh2,500 to Sh10,000 depending on the size.
Nema official Francis Inganga lauded the product, saying it is in line with provisions of the Environmental Management and Co-ordination Act , the government medium term plan and Vision 2030 on sustainable use of natural resources and protection of the environment.
“If we increase forest cover by planting and cutting fewer trees, we can greatly arrest the impact of climate change,” Nema chief environmental research officer Mr Inganga said at the launch.
Source: Daily Nation
Comentários