Waste management project in Egypt
Polyeco successfully and promptly executed the 2nd obsolete pesticides management project following the removal of Lindane stockpiles in Adabiya Port in 2017. The obsolete pesticides stored for more than 30 years at El Saf, were efficiently destroyed at high temperature incineration plants in France and Sweden. The project was part of a GEF financed Project entitled “Sustainable Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Management Project (SPMP)” being undertaken in Egypt by Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA). Operations involved environmentally sound removal, drainage, transfusion, packaging, transport, storage, cleaning of El-Saf storage area and disposal of approximately 470 tons of stockpiled obsolete pesticides. Waste disposal was conducted in licensed hazardous waste facilities in compliance with the Basel Convention and EU Regulations.
POLYECO was honored to participate at the Conference organized by the Ministry of Environment in the Educational Environmental Center of Cairo House, in order to celebrate the safe disposal of more than 470 tn of obsolete pesticides stored at El Saf area in Giza. The press conference was held on 18th of February, under the presence of the Minister of Environment, Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Mohamed Ibrahim Abdel-Majid, Chairman of the Pesticides Committee at the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Oliver Breed World Bank representative, the House of Representatives, and a number of scholars and experts.
The Egypt’s Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad, explained during her speech that the hazardous substances had been a time-bomb for the past 30 years and that their removal was necessary. The minister also said that the ministry is currently working on finalizing its integrated hazardous waste management strategy to abide by Egypt’s international commitments stipulated in the Stockholm and Basel conventions.
Ilias Avramikos, International Services Director of Polyeco Group highlighted the importance of the efficient cooperation of all project stakeholders and expressed its gratitude for the support received by Dr. Ahmed Abdel Hamid, project manager of the sustainable management of persistent organic pollutants.