7 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 03/23 Construction of the largest recycling plant for food-grade PET/HDPE plastic in Vietnam Alba Group Asia, a provider of waste management and recycling solutions and VietCycle, a nationally established waste collection and plastics recycl ing company in Vietnam, announced the launch of a cooperation to jointly develop the largest plast ics recycl ing plant for food-grade PET/HDPE in Vietnam. At the signing of the cooperation agreement in the capital Hanoi, high representatives of the government of Vietnam and the German embassy confirmed contribution of the project to one of the most urgent environmental problems in the country and pledged their support. They are aware that Vietnam is one of the biggest polluters of the world’s oceans, according to the World Bank. Every year, Vietnam discharges about 3 million tonnes of plastic waste on land and an estimated 0.28 to 0.73 mi l l ion tonnes of plastics waste into the ocean. Across Vietnam, local governments are struggling to collect, transport, treat and dispose of their growing waste streams. Rapid urbanisation combined with increasing economic and population growth will further increase the volume of waste, according to Dr Alex Schweitzer, Chairman Interzero. Together wi th Vi etCyc l e, Interzero wants to tackle this challenge: The investment sum for the planned plant will be up to 50 million US dollars. Interzero aims for a capacity of up to 48,000 t/a. The first phase of operation is expected to start in 2024/2025. The project will use modern technologies to produce food-grade PET/HDPE following international standards set by the EU. Through this partnership, VietCycle’s network can grow and offer a significantly larger number of informal waste collectors an upgrade of their work, which is so important for Vietnam. Gender equality and social inclusion in the collection system and in the plastic recycling sector are among the key objectives of the partnership. Hoang Duc Vuong, Chairman of VietCycle Joint Stock Company, said: “Working with Alba Group Asia helps us realise our dream of recycling plastic waste based on advanced technology, contributing to sustainability and humanity.” In addition to the promising partnership and significant contribution to combating climate change in Vietnam, the expansion of the network will enable Interzero and VietCycle to reach many of today’s still very disadvantaged collectors and improve their lives by offering training and social security services. www.interzero.de/en/
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