How a Greek company built a factory in the desert to manage waste

Mission to the United Arab Emirates: George Lampiris

In 2018, a large fire broke out in hold number 3 on the Maersk Line container ship, Maersk Honam. The boat suffered extensive structural damage to the accommodation block and its front and was towed to Jebel Ali during the rescue operation. It was then rebuilt in Korea before returning to operation in August 2019 under the name Maersk Halifax.

The start of cooperation with the Arab bee’ah

The incident was the occasion for cooperation between the Greek waste recycling company, Polygreen (a subsidiary in the Emirates, Polygreen Middle East) and the giant in this field in the United Arab Emirates, Bee’ah, as the two sides signed an agreement for the construction of a new industrial plant in the desert of the Emirate of Sarjah (Sarjah), which is the third largest city in the Emirates after Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The unit was created in 2020. The object of this agreement was the recycling of all waste resulting from the widespread fire on the Maersk ship, with the Greek interest company of the Polychronopoulos family, to provide its expertise in this project. The completion of the project this took place recently.

The conclusion of the consortium

However, this first collaboration was also the one that paved the way for the Greek Polygreen, in order to proceed with a joint venture with Bee’ah, establishing the company Ecogreen in June 2021. The start-up of this consortium took place last December, effectively opening the door for the Greek company in the market of the United Arab Emirates in the field of inorganic waste management that may come from used catalysts, contaminated soil, lime and other similar substances. The specific ones during their recycling by the consortium of the two companies in the factory located in the Sharjah desert, are then converted into raw material that is channeled to the cement industry.

The next step for Ecogreen is, as stated by Imran Gill, CEO of Polygreen Middle East, during a relevant visit to Sharjah, where Capital.gr was found, the expansion of the recycling unit with new facilities that will have the ability to process outside from inorganic wastes and organic matter such as motor oils and pollution residues from the sea and ports, tank and paint industry wastes containing chemical solvents and a number of other by-products. The start of implementation of this new investment is scheduled for the second half of 2022.

Bee’ah: The biggest player in waste management in the Emirates

For its part, bee’ah manages 3,000,000 tons of garbage per year at its facilities in the Sharjah industrial area. It currently has 10 industrial facilities – including the one with Polygreen – and is preparing three more that will be operational in the near future. According to bee’ah executives, the collaboration with the Greek Polygreen, was a way for bee’ah to enter a field of activity that it did not have in its portfolio before.

In fact, the joint venture with Polygreen is not limited to the Emirates, as it was mentioned, the goal is the global joint expansion.

Bee’ah was founded in 2007 and currently has more than 10,000 employees, while implementing zero-waste solutions.

Bee’ah’s main business is waste management, with medical waste, used tires, construction materials recycling plants, scrap metal recycling plants, and filtered industrial water treatment plants. are cleaned and then channeled to irrigate farmland. At the same time, it is active in the field of biomass but also in the production of hydrogen from garbage in a joint venture it maintains with Chinook Sciences.

Its activities also include digital services, providing digitization solutions to companies, while it also implements extensive training programs in the field of circular economy and waste management, which are addressed to students in schools and professionals in the field of industry.

Polygreen’s next moves in Greece

Regarding the activity of Polygreen in Greece, it is going to create an electronic platform, which will be addressed to its industrial and private customers, in order to collect new types of waste, in which it currently has no presence. The basic idea behind this is to be able to manage and further the sector of the circular economy in which it operates. In this context, it will create a unit for sterilization and recycling of cigarette butts, will manage all kinds of recyclable materials and will soon enter clothing, furniture, bulky items and other materials, which are not currently processed.

According to the General Manager of Polygreen, Lavrentis Albertis, in 2022, depending on the maturity, the investments will be made, ranging between 14-18 million euros, which aim to further strengthen the company’s position in the sector. of waste management in Greece.

Polygreen’s consolidated turnover currently stands at around € 30 million, with the aim of exceeding € 25 million in Greece alone, which is expected to be achieved by 2023 at the latest.