In prelude to the imminent construction of the ‘Red Plast’ plant, a conference was organized on Friday in Douala.

As part of preparations towards the construction of a plastic waste recycling plant in Douala, the Eco-Collect Programme organized a two-day conference on the environment policy and waste management in Cameroon.

The conference animated by an expert from Europe, Italian born Marco Bertuccceli who happens to be the CEO of Echo Polistirolo, a Swiss firm with fifty years of waste management, dwelled on the procedures and technologies of recycling waste with special focus on the construction of the Red Plast plant in Douala to recycle plastic waste from Yaounde, Kribi and Douala.

Speaking during the opening ceremony of the conference, the Regional Delegate for Environment, nature protection and sustainable development, Sidi Bare, said the government encourages waste recycling as it wants to valorize waste.

He disclosed that officials of his delegation will be going round enterprises to assess their waste management policies saying government’s ambition is to recycle more than 80 per cent of urban waste.

The director general of Red Plast, Rodrique Ngonde said the idea to build the recycling plant was nursed some five years ago and will only come to completion by September this year. When the plant goes operational, he said it will offer some 300 direct jobs and about 2000indirectly.

The objective of the programme is to recycle some 10.000 tons of plastic waste each year as well as sensitise and educate the public on selecting waste. He disclosed that some 200 waste collection points will be set up across the country. The plant will cover a surface area of five hectares.

There will be transfer of technology as 70 per cent of the equipment to be used at the plant will be manufactured locally; the plant will cost some two million euros and will be constructed with the technical and financial assistance of Echo Polistirolo.

Other issues evoked during the conference included putting place waste management plans for companies, mutualising of efforts in waste management, management of dangerous and non-dangerous waste as well as implementing the usage of bio-degradable packages.

The conference was tended by representatives of corporate bodies as well as university students. The conference comprised presentations as well as question and answers sessions between the panelist and the public.