The Egyptian Industrial Waste Exchange initiative saw 25 transactions, weighing 200 tonnes in six months, while the number of registered companies reached 148.
The Industrial Waste Exchange is one of the activities of the IWEX project “Green Growth: Industrial Waste Management and Promotion of Small and Medium Industries, and Entrepreneurship in Egypt”, funded by the Middle East North Africa Transition Fund, through the African Development Bank.
Head of the Egypt National Cleaner Production Centre (ENCPC), of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ali Abu Senna, told Daily News Egypt, that the cost of establishing the exchange reached $30,000, adding that 148 companies have already registered, while the centre plans to boost the number to 4,000 companies in 2019.
He explained that the purpose of establishing waste exchange between companies, is to promote the industry, and manufacture value-added local products and services.
Moreover, he pointed out that it also represents an important opportunity for Egyptian manufacturers to exchange their industrial waste, to be used as inputs in different industries, thereby contributing to raising manufacturers’ added value, and also reducing the environmental impact of these wastes.
Among the deals was the waste exchange between Oriental Weavers, and Chloride Egypt. As a result of this deal, Oriental Weavers was able to obtain a new source of income through selling its industrial waste, while Chloride Egypt found a new reliable source of raw materials.
The exchanged waste included textiles, leather, tires, motor oils, greases, pesticides, metals, and paints.
Meanwhile the listed companies operating are located in the 10th of Ramadan City, Ataqa, Al Amiriya, Sadat City, Ain Sokhna, Sixth of October City, among other areas.
Abu Senna said that a Dutch company is negotiating with the ministry of industry, to set up a waste recycling project in Egypt, with investments worth $10m. The purpose of this project is to obtain the waste of potato washing, to extract starch for the plastic industry.
