Zoomlion Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of the Jospong Group of companies and a leading waste management giant has commissioned an ultra-modern integrated Recycling and Compost plant at the Accra Waste Recovery Park, to help recover waste materials that would serve as a resource for industries.
The 20-million dollar Integrated Recycling and Compost Plant (IRECOP) that has been commissioned has an 80% waste recovery rate and the capacity to handle 800 tons of solid waste on a sixteen (16) hour shift.
The plant, which is the first of its kind to be introduced into the country is built on a robust technology fit for Ghana’s weather has the capacity to process 200 metric tonnes of waste daily and nearly 100 metric tons of compost per day to replace over 864,000 bags of chemical fertilizers imported into Ghana annually.
The facility would also serve as research and training centre for educational institutions where students will be allowed to use the facility for project work, internship and academic attachments.
The Executive Chairman of Jospong Group of companies, Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong who addressed the gathering during the ceremony explained that Zoomlion since its inception in 2006 has always considered waste as a resource that should be harnessed into re-usable products hence the establishment of the Accra Compost and Recycling Plant (ACARP).
According to him, the non-availability of landfill sites in the country and support for the President’s vision of making Accra the Cleanest city in Africa pushed his company to invest in recycling plants.
He said 16 more of such facility will be established across all the regions to tackle the huge waste problem in the country.
“Mindful that the waste management system, as being operated could not match the speed with which Government was determined to see environmental cleanliness achieved, Zoomlion’s motivation to be part of the rapid waste processing solution was aroused leading us to collaborate with our European technology partners – Komptech Austria,” he said and added that “We shared and exchanged ideas about our research findings on the concept of mobile and integrated waste technology that can be quickly installed and be capable of handling the type of mixed waste as we currently have in our communities. The outcome of this technological research partnership is confirmed by the 20 million dollar-Integrated Recycling and Compost Plant project that is about to be commissioned.”
He added that many more businesses will be located at the Accra Waste Recovery Park (AWAP) which is an industrial enclave developed by the Jospong group to provide innovative solutions for the recovery of waste materials and have them transformed into other essential products and services.
He further explained that the non-availability of landfill sites in the country coupled with its high cost of operation, pushed his company to invest in recycling plants to tackle the huge waste problem in the country, hence the company commenced with the introduction of the tricycle concept in waste management.
“Trucks were later brought in to speed up the process of conveying waste to the landfills. By 1991, Government was operating twenty-one (21) landfills. All these landfills have been covered and closed down since the lifespan of a landfill is two (2) years. Most of them were donor funded. Some of the landfills are currently full and causing nuisance to residents in areas where they are located. Associated with the high cost of operation is the problem of low turnaround time as the trucks have to cover long distances in the midst of heavy traffic congestion to reach the landfill sites,” he said.
The Plant is designed to additionally process about 200 tons of compost per day. The over 60 tons of compost that would be produced daily per plant would displace over 864,000 bags of chemical fertilizers imported annually into Ghana.
It will also serve as research and training centre for educational institutions. Students will be allowed to use the facility for project work, internship and academic attachments. The facility could also be beneficial for industrial visits and tours.
The plants have the ability to recover waste materials that would have been landfilled and turned into raw materials for industry. This saves the environment from pollution and space needed to site new landfills.
He said, “As a Research, Innovation & Development oriented company”, the review of the operational methods of Zoomlion brought to the fore the need for further transformation in their operational methods that had been dependent on the landfill dumping. According to him, this transformational agenda also coincided with the period when Government declared its desire to see Accra as the cleanest city soonest”.
The Vice President of Ghana, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia in a speech read on his behalf by the Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Prof. Frimpong Boateng expressed his delight for Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong and his company to support government’s vision of making Accra the cleanest city in the sub-region.
The Vice President noted that the commissioning of the Integrated and Recycling Plant to produce organic compost and other materials will go a long way to support government’s drive to promote agriculture through the “Planting for Food and Jobs” and the “One District One Factory” program, adding that Government’s creation of a stable macroeconomic environment for the private sector to blossom and expand will drive the economic transformation agenda and create more jobs for the youth.
The Minister of Business Development, the Minister of Works and Housing, the Deputy Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industries, the Greater Accra Minister among others all took turns to address the gathering and lauded Zoomlion for the great feat.
