Abuja: French embassy supports plastic waste recycling plant at Nile University

From Okwe Obi, Abuja

The French Embassy in Nigeria has facilitated the establishment of a plastic waste recycling plant at Nile University in Abuja. The project aims to boost research, curb environmental pollution, and create jobs and wealth for Nigerians.

Professor Abdulhamid Mambo, Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Science, disclosed this while receiving the Plastic Odyssey team, who are constructing the micro plant. He stated that the plant would aid the university’s research efforts and be used to train students.

“The plant has several implications for us in terms of research and training, which is the core business of the university. We train students to become future leaders. Siting the recycling plant here will enable us to train the next generation of environmental stewards,” Professor Mambo explained.

He highlighted the plant’s role in educating students about the implications of indiscriminate waste disposal and the potential of transforming waste into wealth.

“They will be involved in collecting and sorting plastics and witness how this so-called waste is transformed into valuable products through recycling,” he added.

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Professor Mambo believes the recycling plant will promote research, instil an environmental stewardship culture among staff and students, and benefit the local community through its output.

He explained that sourcing plastic waste wouldn’t be a challenge, as the university has around 11,000 students and generates approximately 5,000 plastic waste from its kitchen daily. Arrangements are also in place with relevant NGOs to supply the plant with plastic waste.

Jean-Baptiste Grassin, Technical Assistant Manager at Plastic Odyssey, explained that their focus is on developing projects centred around plastic waste management. He described their solution, the Plastic Recycling Micro Factory, as a containerised system for transforming dirty plastics into usable end-user products.

“It’s about building a solution for plastic transformation and providing opportunities for businesses to create jobs and build local infrastructure,” Grassin said. “This includes construction materials like building blocks, planks for furniture, pipes, and more.”

He further added, “We aim to pilot the solution on the university campus, address plastic waste, and transform it into useful products. From there, we can use the university as a pioneer and extend the solution to other cities and communities to tackle the plastic waste problem.”