An Italian firm, Management Environmental Finance (MEFIN), has expressed
interest in establishing wastes recycling plant in Calabar with an
investment package totalling 40 million Euros.
Disclosing this during a presentation at the conference room of the
governor’s office, Calabar, leader of the Italian delegation, Mr.
Chinedu Okpalama, disclosed that the pilot project in Nigeria for the
treatment of municipal solid waste, recycling of raw materials and
retrieval of energy in the state will gulp 40million Euros to be invested
by the Italian the firm with no funding from Cross River government.
His words: “It will cost Cross River nothing to install the plant as the
company is committed to using the state as its pilot for the establishment
of the plant in Nigeria and it is going to invest 40million Euros,” adding
that,”once this is done, Cross River will be the hub for environmentally
treated waste.”
Okpalama said “the proposed facility will have the capacity to treat
500,000 tonnes per year of municipal solid waste which when fully built,
the plant will run for 7920 hours per year as well as produce 4.2mw of
energy per hour.”
The team leader also pointed out that the plant will among other benefits,
“provide over 700 direct jobs from collection to energy generation and an
extra 1500 indirect jobs from commercial activities associated with the
operations of the plant.”
Continuing, Okpalama expressed worry that 70 percent of wastes generated
in the country are either dumped or burnt, a situation which threatens
life and environment, hence the need for MEFIN to recycle 100 percent of
every waste collected.
According to him, “If we establish the plant in Cross River, we intend to
manage everything that concerns wastes and turn it to a resource so that
every individual in the state will now see wastes as a resource.”
He added that “any aspect of the wastes that cannot be degraded like
metals will be used in the production of electricity while the final
products from the decomposition of the metals could also be used for
construction work.”
Okpalama who hinted that the firm intends to bring in 100 specialised
trucks for waste collection if the project is given a nod, also appealed
for a land mass of 100 hectares for the plant, for waste collection and
management by MEFIN.
Responding, Cross River Governor, Prof Ben Ayade said: “I wish you well.
Our state is very smart enough to know when a thing is fake, this one is
good and your choice for Cross River for the pilot project is apt.”
Ayade, who directed the commissioners for Power, Lands and Environment to
fast track the processes for the take off of the project, assured the firm
that “we are ready to release 100 hectares of land to you.”