8 SMEs selected for GEF $7m grant to boost plastic recycling

Eight Ghanaian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) into recycling plastics have been selected to benefit from a $4.05 million grant under the pilot phase of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF).

The SMEs are Pure Home Water (PHW), McKingtorch Africa, Coliba Waste Management Services Limited, ⁠Management Sustainability Africa (MSA), Consortium members (Asase Foundation, Sesa Recycling, City Waste Recycling), Universal Plastic Product Recycling (UPPR), Integrated Recycling and Compost Plant Limited (IRECOP) and Nelplast Eco Ghana Limited.

They were selected out of 12 Ghanaian SMEs who applied to access a share of the GEF grant established to help create a circular economic framework in the country.

A total of $7 million has been earmarked for the entire project being implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) through the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST).

Consequently, MEST led by its sector minister, Dr Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, has started an active engagement with the beneficiary SMEs in an effort to release the funds to enable them to expand their operations.

Releasing funds

Addressing the media during a tour of some of the beneficiary firms in Accra, the minister stated that the ministry was at the stage of approving and releasing the funds to the beneficiary firms to help them expand their operations.

He said the engagement was to enable the new administration at the ministry to be brought to speed to appreciate some of the works of the various agencies and institutions that operate under MEST.

As part of the secular development projects, he said the ministry has entered into arrangements with some institutions to provide them grants for expansion.

“The process had actually begun. We are at the stage where we need to approve and then give out those facilities for the purposes of what they do.

“And we started last week, and I guess today, this is the second facility we have visited. I am particularly encouraged because of the things they do to help reduce the waste we have in the system, particularly plastic waste,” he said.

Commendation

The minister commended UPPR for its efforts to recycle plastics waste into useful products for domestic and commercial purposes.

“And for me, that is encouraging. My interest is how widespread these recycling activities are. I realised that 11 SMEs into plastics recycling applied and went through the processes.

“Eight SMEs were identified to be given the grant. But I realised that all the eight, but one, are all in Accra, except that we have one in the Central Region.

So, I was particularly concerned why we do not have one in the Ashanti Region or Northern part of Ghana,” he said.

PET bottles recycling

The Project Coordinator of the Jospong Group of Companies (JGC), Dr Glenn Kwabena Gyimah, said the UPPR, a subsidiary of JGC requested for $410,000 to help secure equipment to expand into recycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles.

“The grant was from the GEF and supervised by UNIDO. It is introduced to establish a circular economy framework in the country.

And so, Jospong happens to be one of the beneficiaries in terms of plastic recycling and plastic recovery.

“We are here at the plastic recycling unit of UPPR, the fund is to enable us to establish the PET recycling arm of the company.

As we speak, we have only high molecular density plastics recycling activity as well as product producing plant.” he said.

He said recycling the PET bottles would create a circular economy around the PET bottles.

He said currently there were no facilities in Ghana that recycle the PET bottles into other useful products.

Plastic waste pollution

Dr Gyimah stated that plastic waste pollution in Ghana was a major environmental challenge, with about 840,000 tonnes generated annually.

He said the Greater Accra Region generates about 300 tonnes of plastic waste daily (109,500 tonnes annually), while Tema also contributes significantly.

He added that only 9.5 per cent was recycled, while most ends up in landfills and waterways Ghana lacks the technology for complete PET recycling.