Petrecozim plant hits a snag

Business
THE establishment of a plastic bottle recycling plant has hit a snag after the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) raised concerns over the project.

THE establishment of a plastic bottle recycling plant has hit a snag after the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) raised concerns over the project.

By Fidelity Mhlanga, Own Correspondent

The Polyethylene Terephthalate Recycling Company of Zimbabwe (Petrecozim) was mooted after 10 local companies in the Pet value chain combined efforts to reduce pollution.

The firms — Dairiboard, Lyons, Tanganda, Mutare Bottling Company, Nestlé, Delta and Schweppes all major players in the fast-moving consumer goods industry — applied to the environment regulator in February seeking permission to set up the plant.

EMA’s environmental education and publicity manager Steady Kangata said the company’s Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) application was substandard and was not done in accordance with the laws of this country.

“Their project is a welcome perspective, but we gave them back the document to correct things that need to be put in perspective,” he said.

“The ball is in their court, their EIA is substandard. It’s not a matter of submitting,” Kangata said.

He added that Petrecozim should expedite a series of issues that needed to be addressed.

Kangata said he had not yet received the corrected version of the application although Petrecozim chief operating officer Tawanda Masuka said the company’s technical consultants were working with EMA to comply with the regulations.

“After they returned our first application, we engaged a technical consultant who is working with them (EMA) to level the exceptional issues , ” Masuka said.

Masuka, however, said it was costly to expedite the collection of empty bottles before the machine comes in the country and before securing the licence from EMA.

Masuka said there were clearly laid down grading and sorting standards that plastic bottle collectors must adhere to.

Masuka said an initial payment for the machinery was in March, deposited to a Chinese manufacturer.