Management Environmental Finance (MEFIN Srl), an Italian firm specialized in waste management said it is interested in establishing a €40 million waste-recycling plant in Calabar, Cross River State.

“It will cost Cross River nothing to install the plant as the company is committed to using the state as its pilot for the establishment of the plant in Nigeria and it is going to invest 40 million Euros,” said Chinedu Okpalama, leader of the Italian delegation, while meeting at the State’s governor.

According to him, the facility will process 500,000 tonnes per year of municipal solid waste. “It will also provide over 700 direct jobs from collection to energy generation and an extra 1,500 indirect jobs from commercial activities associated with the operations of the plant”.

In the framework of the project, the firm appealed to the State’s government for a land mass of 100 hectares where the plant will be established.

In response to Okpalama and his delegation, Cross River’s Governor, Prof Ben Ayade (photo) said: “Our state is very smart enough to know when a thing is fake, this one is good and your choice for Cross River for the pilot project is apt.”

Through the proposed project, MEFIN intends to show the people of Cross River that wastes are a resource. It promised to manage everything that concerns wastes in the State.