In the quest to provide solutions for sustainable plastic waste management in the country, Mohinani Group, the parent company of Poly Tanks Ghana Ltd., is set to invest over US$16million to open a recycling plant.
The rPET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) bottle-to-bottle recycling plant, which will allow post-consumer bottles to be recycled into new ones, is expected to commence operations in late 2023, and will have the capacity to recycle 15,000 metric tonnes of plastic annually, with the overall capacity increasing to 30,000 metric tonnes by late 2024.
In an address, the Executive Director of the Group, Ashok Mohinani, said the move is in line with the company’s commitment to meet both the country and its sustainability goals.
He said his outfit looks forward to the government’s collaboration and support through legislation to enhance and expedite the commencement of the ‘sustainability project’.
He encouraged stakeholders in the sustainability and recycling space to also engage them in forming alliances and partnerships to further tackle issues surrounding waste in the country.
“Plastic waste management is a huge topic all over Africa. As we cater to the plastics sector, it is a logical step for us to enter the plastics recycling industry. We want to close the loop for plastic packaging, and this is perfectly possible with bottle-to-bottle recycling, especially in Ghana where until now, no closed-loop recycling exists; we are proud to be the first to do it.
“The recycled food-safe rPET can, then, be used to create new bottles and other high-quality food grade packaging, produced per global standards,” he noted.
The Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Kwaku Afriyie, commended the initiative, stressing the enormity of the plastics problem and highlighting why it demands immediate attention.
He further hinted that there will be an upcoming brainstorming session with the private sector and other stakeholders to come up with ideas and suggestions for effective and efficient ways to deal with the issue.
“There is need to get the right policies for effectiveness and efficiency so as to protect everyone in the value chain,” he said, adding that this is essential as the country combats climate change impacts, and is striving to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Other stakeholders who shared their take on the initiative commended the Mohinani Group for going beyond the conversation and investing in first recycling facility in the country.
Senior Public Health Engineer at the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, Fifi Boadu, believes the opening of this facility moves Ghana closer to its goal of a circular economy which the country looks forward to deepening.
