10,000T of plastic waste to be recycled yearly

From February 2015 onwards, Cameroon will begin piloting recycling program that aims to recycle 10,000 tonnes of waste plastic collected over the years, in the main cities of Douala and Yaounde, noted a source close to the Cameroon authorities.

The program dubbed "Eco Collect" will, as a first step, get rid of plastic waste from 3 February to August 29, 2015 in Douala and Yaounde before spreading to the rest of the national territory.

For this purpose, a joint release from the ministries of trade and environment and the Protection of nature and sustainable development, asked the producers, importers and distributors of non-degradable plastics to collect and send them to Eco-Collect for their treatment and recycling with the aim of cleaning up the environment.

Plastic waste collected will be grouped according to the categories and treated in the centre of treatment in Yassa, Douala and will be either processed as raw material or used for the manufacture of finished products such as tiles, chairs and tables made of plastic, said the head of the Commercial Department of Eco Collect, Franc Nicole.

According to the Director General of Eco Collect, Rodrigue Ngonde, the program will collect and recycle 10,000 tonnes of plastic waste every year and create 1,000 direct jobs and 10,000 indirect jobs by the end of the current year.

He recalled that 600,000 tonnes of plastics non-degradable, including packaging products in Cameroon, every year, are not discarded after use according to the Cameroonian Ministry of the environment.