TOTAL ENERGIES EP, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) have launched a pilot plastic recycling plant in Port Harcourt, Rivers State as a joint venture initiative.
The Country Chair, Managing Director (MD) of TotalEnergies, Mike Sangster, who inaugurated the project at Elelenwo community in the state’s Port Harcourt Local Government Area yesterday, said the idea arose out of the need to find a sustainable solution to the problem of single-use plastic waste management.
According to him, the multimillion-dollar state-of-the-art plant can recycle over 1000 tons of plastics per year, reduce over 750 tons of CO2 emissions per year, and create over 80 direct and indirect jobs.
He stated that the initiative would be managed by an entrepreneur on a loan basis in order to replicate it in other parts of the country.
He added: “While TotalEnergies is the sponsor of the project, the plant itself will be handed over to an entrepreneur who will run it and eventually take full ownership after repaying a part of the investment.
The recovered part of the investment, Sabster said, would be placed in a recycling fund for re-invested into similar facilities in the state.
“Our objective is to develop a sustainable model where local entrepreneurs will be empowered, trained and supported to run the business, thereby supporting local enterprise while promoting sustainable waste management in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Goal 12, which calls for sustainable consumption and production patterns.
“In establishing this plant, our vision is to facilitate waste management in Nigeria through economic empowerment, which is in line with our core values as a company.
“The pilot plant is fully equipped with advanced modern recycling equipment and will recycle over 1000 tons of waste polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) per year”.
Mrs Sharon Ikeazor, Minister of State for Environment, also spoke at the ceremony and encouraged the private sector to join the project and replicate it in order to combat marine pollution and plastic wastes in the ocean.
Represented by the Director, Pollution Control, Federal Ministry of Environment, Olubumi Olusanya, she said the government has “created the enabling environment to promote a circular economy such as this, for waste reduction, recycling and converting wastes to wealth, through incentives and policies.”
The Managing Director of NAPIMS, Bala Wunti, also spoke, promising that the project will pave the way for further similar projects in favor of the government’s social investment plan in the oil and gas sector.
Wunti represented by Manager, Efficiency, Mrs Adetutu Olukanmi said “Our vision for social interventions is to operate in an ethical and sustainable manner and deal with the environment and social impact occasioned by our activities, hence the approval of various CSR projects by our operators across the country for maximum impact,”
In addition, Mr Nikhil Seth, Assistant Secretary-General of UNITAR, who was represented by Dr Lawrence Boms, a Senior Consultant at UNITAR, applauded TotalEnergies for having the confidence to collaborate with them on the project, citing it an example of public-private collaboration.
The Hoat Monarch and Nye Nwe Eli Elelenwo community leader, Eze Sunny Weli Chukwu, welcomed the decision to locate the project in his domain and demanded that the Federal Government’s local content policy be activated to allow the locals to directly participate in the factory’s workforce.
