June 14, 2017 05:30:28 AM
SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The German recycling and raw materials major Alba Group has signed an agreement with its Chinese partners to build a hi-tech recycling park in Chinese Sichuan province. The plant will be built in collaboration with Chengdu Techcent Environment Co. Ltd. and Deyang Construction Investment. The “Deyang Resource Recycling Industrial Park” is to be built southeast of the city of Deyang. The signing ceremony took place in Berlin in presence of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang.
The recycling park will be spread over approximately 3.3 square kilometers. The facility will have state-of-the-art treatment and recycling plants to account for all types of waste. Built at a cost of $1.2 billion, the recycling park will follow strictest environmental standards. The plant aims to reduce transportation costs and minimize environmental pollution. The centralized infrastructure layout will ensure easy flow of materials, thereby contributing to the economic cycle. The plant will employ state-of-the-art technology in order to minimize air and water pollution caused by its operations. The Deyang Resource Recycling Industrial Park is considered as a model for sustainable waste management in China.
According to Axel Schweitzer, CEO of ALBA Group, the proposed hi-tech recycling park will serve as a role model for similar projects that are about to come up in China. The Chinese administration is keen in making rapid progress in terms of environmental protection, Schweitzer said. The administration’s trust in German technology offers opportunities for ALBA group to set up similar hi-tech recycling projects in various other regions of China. The company has already received enquiries with respect to setting up of similar recycling parks in other regions, Schweitzer added.
Meantime, Deng Xiang, managing partner at Techcent, in a press release, noted that the Alba technology enjoys excellent reputation in China. Techcent’s expertise in local home market, coupled with Alba Group’s technology will help to cement its position as the leading Sino-German environmental services provider, Xiang added. Incidentally, the joint venture partnership between the Alba Group and the Chengdu, Sichuan-headquartered Techcent had become effective 1st January, 2017.
ALBA’s entry into China follows its multi-million e-waste recycling contract with Hong Kong. The Group was awarded the contract to build a recycling facility for discarded electronic waste from households and the right to collect and recycle e-waste from Hong Kong metropolis for a period of ten years. Incidentally, the project near Hong Kong International Airport is nearing completion and is slated for commissioning later this year. The groundbreaking ceremony of the plant building had taken place in January last year.
With its two brands - ALBA and Interseroh - and a total of about 7,500 employees ALBA Group operates within Germany, Europe and Asia. With an annual turnover of approx. 1.8 billion Euros (2016) ALBA Group is one of the leading recycling and environmental services companies as well as raw material providers worldwide.
