The waste plastics are used with dry sand, granite and bitumen to produce bricks, flower verses and other items in different sizes and shapes.
Jeff Momoh, the Deputy Senior Registrar of the college, who chaired the event, asserted that the innovation is what a polytechnic should be-finding practical solutions to problems affecting society like the menace of plastic waste pollution in the country.
The Dean of Environmental Sciences, MMCE&T, Mr. Saidu Koroma revealed that the initiative is the solution to plastic wastes in the country, that the day is joyous for him as a marking point in the history of the college which he has been yearning for to get an edge over other institutions.
According to Mr. Saidu Koroma, plastic is toxic and contributes to flooding asserting that one of the core mandates of the Freetown City Council is to clean the city, affirmed that the project would contribute to a clean and healthy country and continued that the Public Health Department is a specialized Department in the college, hoped that the pilot project would be scaled-up nationwide while wishing all the best to higher heights and appealed to all to judiciously utilize the knowledge to make Sierra Leone a healthy nation.
The representative of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mr. Skeku Sillah acclaimed the initiative to look out for ways to minimize plastic waste pollution and pledged that his Agency would support the college.
Mrs. Fatmata Kawa, Director of Science Education in the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education also commended the initiative and creativity, underscored the need for technical/vocational education which she reiterated is the “quick-fix solution” for rapid national development, reiterating that technical/vocational education addresses the country’s middle-level manpower needs, creates self-employment highlighting that plastic wastes are a menace,the reason some countries like Kenya and Rwanda have banned it, wished the project success as plastics cause a lot of problems including damage to marine life and pledged to support the college.
The Ambassador-At-Large, State House, Mr. Umaru Bon Wurie also stated that he is very impressed with the innovation and promised to inform the President, who is passionate about education and development of the country’s human resource.
In his presentation, Mr. Madieu Timbo, Research Assistant in the Public Health Department pointed out that 85% of wastes generated in the country are plastics, that plastics can be recycled to produce cheap building materials, rain harvesters and other items.
Earlier, the Acting Dean of the Hotel, Tourism and Nutritional Sciences Department, Brookfields campus, Mr. Prince Gaveo welcomed all to the ceremony.
Highlights of the event were screening of the documentary on the production process, official unveiling of the paving stones made from waste plastics by Mr. Umaru Bon Wurie and Ms. Elizabeth Taylor-Morgan, Head of the Department of Education and inspection of the production process itself.