• Plant will recycle 2000 tonnes monthly
•8 million tonnes of plastics find their way into the oceans every year
Image: courtesy
A Chinese firm has set up a Sh 4.5 billion (US$ 45 million) plastic waste recycling company in Athi River.
The company will be collecting and recycling 2,000 tonnes of PET bottles every month.
Weeco Recycling Company has set up operations in Athi River and Mombasa and targets to collect and recycle plastic bottles into pellets which are later converted into fibre and garment.
“We have entered into the Kenyan market to provide a lasting solution to the challenge posed by post-consumer PET bottles. In addition, we will provide employment opportunities, revenue for the exchequer and improve the standards of living for the collectors who will be supplying to us. We are able to recycle between 1,000 tonnes and 5,000 tonnes every month having established two processing lines in Nairobi and Mombasa,” Weeco Recycling Company director Wang Zhangyin said.
The firm signed a partnership contract with Kenya PET Recycling Company, an industry body mandated with regulating management of post-consumer PET packaging in the country.
PETCO Kenya Chairman John Waithaka said the firm will play a key role in recycling of post-consumer PET packaging in line with its strategic objectives.
Plastic waste has become a global challenge with 8 million tonnes of plastics finding their way into the oceans every year and micro-plastics now becoming a part of the food chain.
“In line with our core strategy for 2019, which is to stimulate the collection and recycling of post-consumer PET packaging, we have also identified other recycling partners to be able to achieve our 2019 target of recycling 5,900 tonnes or 247 million bottles,” said Waithaka.
“PETCO will provide a price subsidy of Sh5 per kilogram of PET bottles collected and recycled by Weeco Limited, over and above the current purchasing price,” he said.
PETCO plans to kick-off a national call to action for the collection of PET bottles, consumer awareness activities such as the rolling out of designated drop-off sites in conjunction with our partners, implementation of segregation at source programs, establishment of collection centres in various counties.
It is envisaged that this contract between PETCO and Weeco will complete the value chain which is critical in sustaining the demand of post-consumer PET packaging.
PETCO, Kenya PET Recycling Company Limited is an industry body mandated with the responsibility of regulating the management of post-consumer PET packaging in the country.
Its core strategy for 2019 is to stimulate the collection and recycling of post-consumer PET packaging.
They have identified three recycling partners to be able to achieve our target of recycling 5,900 tonnes or 247 million bottles this year.
Weeco Recycling Company is a PET recycling company established in 2018, which currently converts post-consumer PET packaging into pellets.
The pellets are currently being exported to Weeco’s parent company in China for the manufacture of polyester clothing fibre.