Capegate Investment Limited, a solid waste management company in Kano, Nigeria, plans to generate 150 MW of electricity from plastic waste. Currently, the country is experiencing difficulties with access to the electricity grid and optimized waste management.
"We will convert high density plastic (HDP) and tires into flammable oil. LDP plastics will be used for recycling," said the company's chief operating officer, Bello Abba Yakasai.
Three months ago, Capegate Investment Limited signed a public-private partnership to manage Kano State's solid waste for the next two decades.
Capegate will use biodegradable waste in two ways. The waste will be burned to produce gas, intended for steel production. This energy will also be used to turn turbines, which will then provide electricity.
By the end of this year the company in Kano intends to generate about 10 MW of energy, and depending on the evolution of the type of waste, the idea is to generate 30 MW in the following years.
"We expect to generate 150 MW in Kano in five years. We also project to produce 2 MW of solar power to power the light poles in Kano," revealed Bello Abba Yakasai.
The operations director said that the company has more than 2,000 employees and has already recruited 200 recent graduates. The ambition of the waste management company is to employ more than 5,000 people over time.
Recall that, per year, only 2% of the plastic containers consumed in the world are made from recycled plastics.
Worldwide, industries have produced more than eight billion tons of plastics in 75 years, which is equivalent to the weight of 822,000 Eiffel Towers. And of the 6.3 billion tons of plastics that became waste, only 9% were recycled.
Plastic use has multiplied 20-fold in 50 years, and some consumer products contain more than 20 different plastic resins.
Producing one ton of recycled plastic saves five barrels of oil, the equivalent of 1,600 tons of CO2.
Increasing the proportion of recycled plastic appears as another of the goals that helps protect the environment and the oceans, while improving its energy and environmental performance.