Karachi: The Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) has set up its fourth plastic waste recycling and compost production plant as part of effective and sustainable efforts to resolve the problem of urban waste in the province. SSWMB Managing Director Tariq Ali Nizamani, who was the keynote speaker at the Annual Environment Conference-2025 organised by the National Forum for Environment & Health (NFEH), announced that this latest facility had begun operations in Hyderabad from 1 August 2025.
Nizamani explained that the Hyderabad facility would process 25 tonnes of inferior-quality polyethylene waste daily and convert it into high-strength manhole covers produced under eco-friendly conditions. Each 50-kilogramme cover, capable of withstanding up to 18 tonnes of pressure, would replace traditional metallic covers that are often stolen, causing fatal accidents.
He added that the World Bank-backed facility would employ around 80 people formerly working in the informal sector. Alongside plastic recycling, the SSWMB would conduct training workshops to educate citizens on converting daily kitchen waste into compost to enhance green cover in their neighbourhoods.
Highlighting SSWMB’s ongoing sustainability initiatives, Nizamani informed the audience that three similar plants for recycling, composting, and biofuel production were already set up in Karachi. He noted that more than 50 per cent of urban waste comprises organic and recyclable materials that can be repurposed to reduce pressure on landfill sites significantly.
The conference, themed “Environment, Climate Change, Corporate Leadership – Towards a Sustainable Pakistan”, also featured speeches emphasising the need for provincial autonomy to effectively address environmental degradation and climate change.
Former Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) Director-General and MNA Mehtab Akbar Rashdi recalled the successful province-wide ban on black polythene bags in the 1990s during her tenure, despite the agency’s limited resources at the time.
Executive Director of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) Musarat Jabeen shared SECP’s initiatives on sustainability guidelines for listed companies, highlighting the need for reliable data to attract foreign climate financing.
Senior journalist Afia Salam stressed the release of 10 million acre-feet of water downstream of Kotri Barrage to safeguard the Indus Delta’s mangroves and marine ecosystem, while ecologist Rafiul Haq urged public and private bodies to increase tree plantation efforts.
Adviser to the Sindh Governor, Tariq Mustafa, who presided over the event, described urban tree plantation drives and public awareness sessions being conducted by the Governor House to address environmental challenges.
In his welcome address, NFEH President Naeem Qureshi called for stronger sustainability commitments by public and private stakeholders, while NFEH General Secretary Ruqiya Naeem delivered the vote of thanks.
The Sindh Governor’s Adviser also conferred the Annual Environment Excellence Awards 2025 on over 70 companies, with ten organisations receiving special recognition for their outstanding plantation drive participation.
