Dutch environmental technology firm Upp! UpCycling Plastic and the Toan Hai Van JSC, a subsidiary of Vietnamese developer TTC Land, signed a memorandum of cooperation and deployment on April 12 for the construction of a cyclic plastic waste disposal plant on Phu Quoc Island, on the occasion of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s official visit to Vietnam.
Recycled plastic waste will be processed by Upp! UpCycling Plastic, who leads the way in environmental technology in the Netherlands, to create floorboards, balconies, and materials for paving walkways and swimming pools and to build a wharf in a new urban area of Phu Quoc.
The two companies will establish a joint venture with the goal of converting plastic waste on the island into materials used for building local resorts and hotels or infrastructure, etc. The joint venture will recycle plastic waste from the sea, beach, and landfill, and contribute to a cleaner, greener world.
In the first phase of the project a pilot plant will be built with one or two production lines to turn plastic waste into basic construction materials such as pavement bricks, roof tiles, boards, and columns. The plant will be in operation no later than November, with a capacity of 3,000-4,000 tons per year by 2020, and other cyclic plastic waste recycling plants will be also established on Phu Quoc as well as in other suitable locations.
“Upp! UpCycling Plastic was founded with the purpose of solving issues relating to plastic waste,” Mr. Jan Jaap Folmer, CEO of Upp! UpCycling Plastic, told the signing ceremony. “Upp! offers solutions for recycling plastic waste into durable, environmentally-friendly products that can be used in the construction industry. The company’s products are mainly environmentally-friendly PP and PE plastic that can be used in many urban buildings. It researched building a plastic waste recycling plant in Vietnam in order to contribute to dealing with waste in the country.”
Ms. Huynh Bich Ngoc, Chairman of the Toan Hai Van JSC, said that over the years the amount of waste Vietnam discharges into the environment has increased every day. People can see and feel the effects of waste on land, in the ocean, and elsewhere, but there are few solutions to resolve the problem.
“We need to enhance awareness and action in the communities and by individuals,” she said. “With this cooperation agreement, we hope people will realize the value of recycling and how to turn waste into a non-polluting products, creating a green and healthy living environment.”
In the first phase of the project, products will be used for building the Hoa Sen artificial island (belonging to the Vinh Dam Complex with the commercial name Ocean Lotus Island).
According to an official announcement from TTC Land, the project includes two separate zones: the Vinh Dam Port, Industry - Service Complex on 110 ha and the Ocean Lotus Island resort - tourism area on 180 ha.
TTC Land has already cooperated with Royal Haskoning DHV, a Dutch enterprise and compatriot of UpCycling Plastic, who consulted on the Palm Island project in Dubai.
Via Vietnam Economic Times