By Nneka Nwogwugwu
Egypt’s Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad visited on Monday a number of industrial facilities in Sixth of October City to see the implementation of environmental compliance plans, where she inspected the rate of implementation of environmental plans and sustainability projects at Al-Bardi Paper Industry.
The minister listened to a detailed presentation on the environmental sustainability projects implemented by the company, whether in industrial wastewater, the rationalisation of water and energy consumption, and waste recycling.
Furthermore, Fouad inspected the industrial wastewater treatment unit implemented by the company to comply with the standards of drainage on the public sewage network contained in resolution No. 44 of 2000, with a design capacity of 1600 m3/day based on chemical and biological treatment, after obtaining the environmental approval from the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency.
She also praised the project to rationalise water consumption and get the maximum use of recycled water, as the facility uses about 40% of the treated water to irrigate green areas. The project is slated for completion in June 2022 and will expand the irrigation network inside the facility and increase green areas to accommodate the rest of the water industrial waste treatment.
Additionally, the minister inspected the mechanisms of the facility’s application of environmental sustainability standards in the field of energy through the company’s energy management unit, which aims to reduce emissions and increase the efficiency of energy usage through internal energy regeneration, control of the work environment, as well as the development of production lines.
She also inspected the company’s waste recycling unit, which led to a reduction in the volume of waste generated from 2.2% of the volume of raw materials in 2018 to 1% in 2021, which is recycled into the production of products.
Fouad visited the Bariq Plastic Factory as well, which recycles plastic materials until reaching a final product in the form of granules to be exported abroad. During the visit, the minister confirmed that industries for recycling plastic waste represent one of the most important models for implementing the policies of the ministry related to fostering a green economy.
She further stressed that the ministry reviewed 120 factories in Sixth of October City in coordination with the Industrial Development Authority and the Ministries of Health, Water Resources and Irrigation, and Housing, where 84 of these factories submitted an environmental sanitation plan.
