BORISOV, 21 November (BelTA) – The paper mill of the Department of State Signs of Belarus' Finance Ministry has become the first one in Belarus to recycle waste paper into office paper. The new manufacturing facility was inaugurated in Borisov on 21 November, BelTA has learned.
The pilot initiative was implemented in line with the large-scale EU-financed project Supporting the Transition to a Green Economy in Belarus (the total budget is €5 million). It is carried out by the UNDP in cooperation with Belarus' Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Ministry. This is an innovative technology for Belarus as no single paper recycling company, including those affiliated with the Bellesbumprom concern, has ever produced office paper from secondary raw materials.
The EU's funds were used to fit the manufacturing facility with additional components and mechanisms to create a full-fledged waste paper recycling line. As much as €860,000 was earmarked for cutting-edge Italian-made equipment. An industrial building for coarse screening was constructed to place the equipment.
Thanks to the pilot initiative, a technological process was created to cover the whole cycle of waste paper recycling and defibration. This helps turn lower-quality waste into office paper. The paper mill is expected to process 2,345 tonnes of secondary raw materials a year once it reaches the capacity envisaged by the project. The mill will process them instead of similar amounts of bleached cellulose, which will cut the annual expenses on materials down to €801,570.
Iya Malkina, Belarusian First Deputy Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Minister, named this initiative the gem of the whole project on Belarus' transition to a green economy. “All in all, 23 initiatives have been put into practice in Belarus so far. This one is among the most expensive and interesting,” she stressed.
“Since 2012, the EU has allocated over €12 million for Belarus' transition to a green economy. What you see here is the result of one of the biggest initiatives. This project shows that green technologies are environmentally effective and change consumer habits,” Head of the EU Delegation to Belarus Andrea Wiktorin said.
The environmental, economic, and social effects were explained at the presentation. For instance, a new trail camera reduced the use of fresh water for paper production and decreased the concentration of suspended particles in wastewater in city wastewater treatment facilities. Energy-efficient equipment saves up to 100kW per one tonne of office paper produced from waste paper. Thus, gas consumption falls by 50,000 cubic meters a year. In general, around €17,640 a year will be saved up on fuel and energy thanks to the project. The new manufacturing facility has also created four new jobs.
The Borisov-based paper mill turned 100 in October 2002. Today it manufactures over 200 types of paper products. The company boasts a flexible highly automated production that covers a complete cycle of operations, from raw processing to direct sales of end products (web paper, blanks, covers, postcards, writing instruments for schoolchildren, and also labels and branded products).
Photos by Oksana Manchuk
