A battery recycling plant will be built in Georgia. Solomon Pavliashvili, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, states.
According to Pavliashvili, the location has already been selected and the plant will be built in Rustavi.
In Pavliashvili’s words, as part of the Extended Producer Responsibility value chain, Rexol LLC jointly with the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture of Georgia, the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Economy, and Produce in Georgia are actively working to create a recycling infrastructure in the country and introduce innovative technologies. The initiators of the project were the following organizations: Georgian Producers' Extended Liability Association Wasteless, Tegeta Green Planet, and the Waste Management Business Association.
The goal of the project is the creation and development of high-tech enterprises to process car batteries and tire waste.
According to Pavliashvili, Rexol LLC is actively cooperating with banks, as a result, about GEL 30 million will be poured into the project and 50 people employed. The infrastructure is planned to be built in Rustavi on the area of about 4.5 hectares.
The project contractor is the Italian company Engitech LLC, which, with many years of experience and modern technologies, ensures the highest quality and compliance of the processing plant with international, European standards. The plant capacity will be 12,000 tons per year, which will fully cover Georgia's needs. The first phase of the project will be completed within a year, and the plant will be fully operational 18 months after the ratification of the agreement.
The plant will begin operating within 8-12 months after the ratification of the agreement, which will significantly improve the waste recycling process in Georgia and contribute to the country's transition from a linear economy to a circular economy.
As a reminder, since 2022, Extended Producer Liability Organization together with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, have been working to develop a circular economy in the country in accordance with European standards, through sustainable waste management and raising awareness in society.