Onne Community Women representative, Dorathy Casca-Ogosu (left), Secretary of Onne Council of Chiefs, Sunday Osaronu, Head of Procurement, APM Terminals Nigeria, Chinyere Adenaike, representative of Onne Paramount Ruler, Godwin Ololuka, and representative of the Managing Director, WACT-APM Terminals Nigeria, Daniella Silva, and others during the commissioning of a solar-powered plastic recycling plant in Onne…recently
By Anthony Nwachukwu
In a boost for its environmental sustainability and community development drives, the West Africa Container Terminal (WACT)-APM Terminals Nigeria has launched a solar-powered recycling plant in its Onne host-community in Rivers State.
The innovative facility, in partnership with Garbage-In Value-Out (GIVO), is designed to recycle plastic waste into reusable products while harnessing renewable solar energy to power its operations to achieve environmental sustainability, clean energy adoption and job creation.
The Managing Director of WACT-APM Terminals Nigeria, represented by Daniella Sylva, said at the launch that the facility is not only dear to the Onne community but also strongly aligns with APM Terminals’ drive to embrace a more eco-friendly and sustainable means of operation.
“In partnership with GIVO, we are supporting the Onne community in overcoming the daunting challenge of managing plastic wastes,” Sylva explained. “With the full operation of this recycling plant, the residents of Onne and neighbouring communities will have the opportunity to generate income by exchanging plastic wastes for value.
“Beyond helping to protect the community, this initiative will stimulate economic activity and empower residents, because the majority of those engaged in the plant’s operations are from the Onne community, with the youths taking center stage.”
Also, WACT-APM Terminals Nigeria’s Community Relations Manager, Justin Okwuofu, disclosed that the project was a result of a NEEDS assessment carried out in the community in 2022.
According to him, one of the challenges faced by the community is environmental degradation, with most of their drainages littered with plastic waste.
“We thought of a sustainable way to eradicate plastics from the drainages and had to think of a project that will help mop up all these plastic bottles in the society and community, and to convert them to something useful for the community. So that is how the idea of a recycling plant came about.”
On the economic and environmental impacts of the project, GIVO’s Chief Executive Officer, Victor Boyle-Komolafe, said the center can do about 300 kilograms a day, which turns up to about 90 metric tons a year.
He added that for that amount, the company also avoids about 2,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, as all its processes rely on clean energy.
He further explained that the center supports about 15 direct and 50 indirect jobs every month while also providing incentives for recycling and sustainable practices.
According to Boyle-Komolafe, Givo is about creating sustainable infrastructure in communities that support clean environment and also empowers the community through jobs and other incentives.
On his part, the Paramount Ruler of Onne, King Sunday Njijor Jiala, described the initiative as the first of its kind in Eleme Local Government Area and a solution to the community’s drainage challenges.
