4 September 2023
A Pulp and Paper firm launched on Friday has reportedly fulfilled, in part, the government’s commitment to developing a strong waste recycling industry to protect the environment and create sustainable employment.
Officially opening the paper recycling and manufacturing plant situated at Nkoyaphiri in Mogoditshane, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi said projects of this magnitude are aligned to the country’s Reset and Reclaim Agenda and the National Vision 2036 and Sustainable Development Goals.
He said it was for this reason that the government approved the integrated Waste Management Policy of 2021, which sought to empower communities to derive value out of waste to sustain livelihoods. He said the policy, further aims to promote value chain development in the waste management sector, which would, in turn, unlock job opportunities and nurture the growth of Small Micro and Medium Enterprises (SMME).
“I implore Batswana to adopt a mindset change that embraces waste as a profitable resource and see opportunities in waste management,” he said in reference to the company’s mandate to collect various types of wastepaper to be recycled and turned into paper products.
The President revealed that research has shown that the global waste management market was valued at $383 billion in 2020 and expected to grow by 5% between 2021 and 2026. He said this clearly demonstrates that a great opportunity exists for Batswana to unlock more value from the waste management industry. The President expressed concern that local waste recovery and recycling initiatives, currently dominated by companies that mainly collect, bail and export to neighbouring countries are still in their infancy.
“These companies also collect both recyclable waste and non-recyclable waste at landfills because at the moment there are no waste reclamation centres,” he said.
In addition, he pointed out that it was worrisome that households, commercial and industrial sites alike are far behind in appreciating and upholding the practice of separating waste at source. Consequently, he said due to the absence of a strong culture of waste separation, much of the recyclable waste is thrown about in open spaces, resulting in environmental degradation.
The board chairperson of Strides of Success company, the company behind the recycling plant, Ramachandran Ottapathu said the idea of establishing a recycling plant was conceived in 2013, with P200 million spent to set up the first phase. The company is set to bring back much-needed jobs previously exported to neighbouring countries, with Ottapathu saying the company has created 200 direct jobs, and the facility was expected to create over 250 indirect jobs.
He also said the facility was the first local paper project funded by South African financiers, Industrial Development Corporation. In the second phase, he said the company would spend about P60 million and create about 50 more jobs. He estimates a further $30 million would be spent in the third phase, at which stage they expect to export some of the products.
In the future, the company plans to buy solid paper waste from community members.
Source: https://dailynews.gov.bw/news-detail/75004
I applaud this effort but note that in the village of Serowe where I currently live, there appears to be no effort in this arena. Additionally, trash and broken bottles are everywhere in the paths, on the walking areas along the major roads, in the malls…really everywhere. I hear the justification for throwing trash on the ground that it creates jobs for government day workers but this is really not true as the trash in ward areas in just thrown down and no workers ever come to the area. It is really a disappointment for me to experience this as a visitor/resident for a year. I was told that Motswana have pride in the environment but I see little indication of this and trash burning is rampant.