CEMEX, VeryNile sign protocol drawing clear line for lifecycle of solid waste dumped in Nile River

17 to 20 tonnes of marine litter are expected to be collected on a monthly basis

CEMEX signed a cooperation protocol with the VeryNile Initiative to expand solid waste collection operations from the Nile River following the principles of waste hierarchy and to support the fishing community on Qursaya Island in Cairo.
The signing ceremony took place at Kempinski Hotel on the banks of the Nile in the presence of Eduardo Fragoso, the Commercial and International Cooperation Attaché representing Octavio Tripp — Mexico's Ambassador in Cairo — Ahmed Amir, the Diplomatic Attaché representing Mohamed Nasr — Director of the Environment and Sustainable Development Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Khaled Al-Farra, Adviser to the Minister of Environment for Solid Waste Management; the management team of CEMEX and VeryNile, and their guests.
Under this cooperation protocol, CEMEX will grant the capital needed to increase equipment used in waste collection, in addition to contributing to the operating cost to sustain the initiative.
The duration of this partnership is three years, during which 17 to 20 tonnes of marine litter are expected to be collected on a monthly basis. Moreover, employment numbers within the fishing community in the island of Qursaya will rise from 40 to 80. Meanwhile, employment among women working in the upcycling workshop will rise from 8 to 24, and the number of plastic operators will rise from 8 to 12.
Carlos Gonzalez — President of CEMEX Egypt and UAE and Chairperson and Managing Director of Assiut Cement — said: "The remarkable thing about this initiative is its direct and indirect impact on the quality of life and on the environment in Egypt. We draw a clear line for the lifecycle of solid waste dumped in the Nile, serving the purpose of circular economy and waste hierarchy."
"Reducing the volume of waste that ends up in sanitary landfills is an important matter for all of us. We are happy that our kilns are the end station for non-recyclable waste and the means to ensure its removal from the ecosystem."
Daily News Egypt sat down with Gonzalez to learn more about the initiative and its impact on reducing pollution.
Please elaborate on your initiative to reach zero waste
CEMEX is committed to achieving carbon neutrality. We have announced our Future in Action Strategy addressing climate action, defining a global target of a 40% reduction of CO2 emissions per tonne of cementitious products by 2030.
To complement this strategy with a longer-term vision, CEMEX also established an ambition to deliver net-zero CO2 concrete to all its customers globally by 2050. By cooperating with Very Nile and launching this initiative, we draw a clear line for the lifecycle of solid waste dumped in the Nile River, serving the purpose of circular economy and waste hierarchy.
Reducing the volume of waste that ends up in sanitary landfills is an important matter for all of us. We are happy that our kilns are the end station for non-recyclable waste and the means to ensure its removal from the ecosystem. The duration of this partnership is three years, through which we'll grant the capital needed to increase equipment used in waste collection, in addition to contributing to the operating cost to sustain the initiative.
Do you plan to expand this initiative in other areas or governorates?
This protocol is of great importance to all Egyptians, wherever they may be. It protects our lifeblood and serves the biodiversity goals of aquatic life in the Nile River.
As CEMEX is always keen on leaving a positive impact in the communities in which it operates, we will continuously evaluate the results of this initiative and we intend to replicate it in Assiut next year whilst improving its impact.
After the completion of this initiative, what environmental impact will it contribute in order to overcome climate change?
This initiative is aligned with the Promoting Green Economy Pillar in our Future in Action Strategy. Through this partnership, we will cooperate with VeryNile on achieving four goals.
Goal number one is to increase the tonnes of waste collected by VeryNile on a monthly basis to help clear the water from solid wastes. Goal number two is increase employment in Qursaya Island, as our initiative will increase the total number of jobs from 56 to 110 among the fishing community, the recycling workshop, and plastic operators there. Goal number three will be to remove the unrecyclable solid waste out of the system and avoid having it thrown back to the Nile or go to landfills by co-processing it in our cement kilns. And finally, the situation with the Nile's pollution will only be resolved by more awareness, so our fourth goal will be to raise awareness among populations, and for that we have identified a target for kids, university students, and housewives.
What is the expected percentage of pollution reduction in the Nile after implementing the initiative?
Pollution reduction will come through two activities coming hand in hand simultaneously — collection of existing waste and prevention of new waste.
The Nile's pollution is a complex matter, as it involves malpractices resulting in both physical and chemical waste. Our initiative deals with the physical waste dumped in the Nile. And to put things in perspective, we're talking about 17 to 20 tonnes of marine litter that are expected to be collected on a monthly basis.
And given the light weight of plastic bags, Styrofoam, and beverage containers we will be collecting, these 20 tonnes represent huge metric volumes.
In your point of view, what challenges face the Egyptian commitment to climate adaptation?
The whole world is aware of climate change. It is a very worrisome situation and, accordingly, we need to act quickly if we want to save humanity. We are witnessing radical changes in weather between high temperatures everywhere, severe droughts, floods, and hurricanes, along with melting glaciers and their impact on agricultural crops.
Egypt has joined the conversation and is taking clear steady steps in addressing the climate change challenge. Aside from the importance of the Egyptian leadership's commitment as a responsible world citizen, the country is keen more than others due to risks affecting the Egyptian Delta and some coastal cities in Egypt, such as Alexandria.
The challenge with adaptation — and this applies to many developing countries — will always be the finance part of the equation. The world is racing to achieve the targets, but this is a very costly process for many countries.
How can the country and private sector cooperate to implement and develop a circular economy?
As mentioned by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, governments alone cannot face the quickly evolving climate change challenge. Hence, private sector can play a key role in expediting plans by aligning efforts and joining forces with the government to achieve its plans. We consider ourselves partners of Egypt in the development journey.
Today, in the presence of Egypt's 2030 Vision and the plans set by the state to build a strong and more sustainable infrastructure, CEMEX — thanks to its policy towards research and development and its plan for carbon neutrality — can be a supportive partner for the country's objectives.
Supporting and promoting circular economy is an important topic at CEMEX and one of the areas that witness many discussions and innovations, and as you have seen in Egypt, can also open doors for value-sharing initiatives.
What are Egypt's potentials in the recycling sector? Additionally, what are the sectors that benefit the most from recycling?
The release of law 202 for year 2020 and its implementation regulations put Egypt on the right track to manage the different types of generated waste. The law covers all types of waste, and it has established very important principles, among which is the extended responsibility of manufactures towards their products and toward minimising the related waste, along with finding ways to recycle and dispose them.
We believe that this will be of benefit to the communities, guaranteeing the safe disposal of waste as well as the creation of new job opportunities in the field of recycling.
Additionally, the majority of manufacturers in different industries will also benefit as the waste of one industry could be used in another one.
What are your comments regarding Egypt's hosting of the COP 27 and what are opportunities that the country should seize to make it succeed?
The UN Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP 27) is a very important event to drive the global climate agenda. You may already know that CEMEX is a member of the First Movers Coalition initiative that was launched at the COP 26 that unites more than two dozen of the world's leading companies to accelerate innovation and the development of early-stage decarbonisation technologies by leveraging their combined purchasing power.
Moving to Egypt, the country has great experience in hosting important international events, and we are sure that Egypt will succeed in pushing all the different efforts to reach an integrated and inclusive plan that involves all parties.
We are already seeing on the ground that bringing the COP 27 to Egypt has initiated the needed dialogue and started a steady momentum of activities and events while locally creating a huge awareness of environmental issues.