<<Print>>

Officials of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of this year�s International Ozone Layer Day celebration, visited the City Waste Group to inspect its recycling plastic waste, pressing metal and degassing of fridges plant. The plant, which is the first de-gassing project in Africa, is used to decongest old refrigerators and air conditioners that have substances that deplete the ozone layer. Mr J�rgen Meinel, Managing Director of City Waste Management LTD, said the plant had a specialty of removing gas and decomposed oil that also acts as lubricant. Mr Meinel noted that R12, 134A, and hydrocarbon were the three main categories under which de-gassing and dismantling took place. He said City Waste Group ensured permanent training and enhanced education for its personnel as well as for the informal sector. He noted that technical standards were kept on the highest level through in-house training sessions as well as training courses for NGOs and other organizations. Mr Meinel said City Waste Group had currently trained 10 personnel and able to de-gas and dismantle 160 refrigerators daily. He said aside getting gas and oil from the refrigerators, there were copper, aluminium, and plastics ready for sale and for export. He noted that collection points had been made available at the various regions that would allow people to take their old refrigerators for recycling at a fee. Mr Meinel, however, called on all to buy refrigerators that have two stars or more said to be environmentally friendly, and cautioned consumers to be vary of those (refrigerators) with R12 and N inscriptions on them since they were dangerous to the ozone layer. He said City Waste Group was planning the construction of a new recycling plant including a training facility at the new site at Nsawam (Eastern Region), which would commence soon.