Contributes to increased plastic recycling in Africa
Every year, about 5 million tonnes of plastic end up in the sea. In Ghana, plastic waste has created a major environmental problem and threatens vulnerable wildlife, there is a great need for systems for collecting and recycling plastic. Through the NetCYCLE project, under the auspices of Chaint Afrique, Oceanize will assist in sustainable plastic management in Ghana.
Oceanize has through several years of collecting and recycling plastic acquired a solid knowledge and expertise, this they now want to share.
-We work to equip Norway to handle its own plastic waste. When we were then asked to contribute to sustainable plastic treatment in Ghana, we of course answered yes, says Tormod Steen, head of communications and sustainability at Oceanize.
The project will help Ghana to manage its own plastic waste from the fishing industry, provide national value creation and lighten the plastic footprint of plastics.
The deadliest form of plastic waste
In Norway, there is a large spotlight on marine plastic waste, large-scale clean-up operations have been initiated, collection points for discarded fishing gear are being established and more and more plastic is being recycled nationally, as is not the case in Africa. Here, large amounts of fishing equipment are dumped in the sea, where nets continue to operate as ghost nets, referred to as the deadliest form of plastic litter.
-Yarn is produced from nylon, a plastic fabric with a degradation time of 30-40 years. The ghost nets will therefore fish in the sea for decades and thus pose a great threat to wildlife, says Tormod Steen.
The project aims to establish processes for the collection and recycling of discarded fishing nets off the coast of Ghana.
The biggest environmental challenge of our time
The mentoring scheme means that Oceanize will assist in the process with the goal of establishing a plant for recycling, as well as process optimization and attitude-creating work aimed at plastic consumers. Representatives from NetCYCLE will visit Oceanize facilities in September while the possibilities for a visit the other way are investigated.
-Plastic waste is one of the biggest environmental challenges of our time, now we get the opportunity to experience this up close and make a contribution to the global challenges, it is rewarding, Tormod Steen concludes.
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