New PET recycling plant planned for Okahandja
The Namibian soft drink producer Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) has signed an investment agreement with Namibia Polymer Recyclers.Together they want to set up a recycling plant in Okahandja and, through this cooperation, collect plastic waste more effectively nationwide. The project - a plant for flaking polyethylene terephthalate (PET) - aims to convert discarded plastic bottles made from PET material into PET flakes, as these have an international market value.
The agreement was announced by Coca Cola at a media conference on Friday, where CCBA managing director Pottie de Bruyn said that the process involves sorting, washing and shredding used plastic bottles into PET flakes, which are to be processed into either recycled PET products or so-called R-PET material for further processing and be used in the global recycling markets.
De Bruyn did not reveal how much the company would invest in the facility, but said the investment would expand CCBA's partnerships in Namibia and improve plastic waste collection nationwide. It is part of the “World Without Waste” initiative, which the Coca-Cola company is actively pursuing globally.
De Bruyn added that he is proud of the partnership with Plastic Packaging and various waste management companies such as Rent a Drum. “Partnerships are an important aspect of this strategy. Our goal is to collect 70 percent PET and recycle it by 2022.”