A wine bottle recycling plant has been established in Jos, the Plateau capital, newsmen report. Our correspondent, who visited the firm, observed wine bottles being cut into various shapes and sizes and turned into cups, candle lights, lamp holders, fibre glass and flower vessels.

Other items produced from the recycled wine bottles included mini jugs, interior and exterior decorations, decorative lights, bottle lights, outdoor and indoor glows, among others. Speaking with newsmen, Mr Samuel Kyarshik, Managing Director, Jos Masterminds Ltd, owners of the plant, said that the recycling company was focused on “turning thrash into treasure”.

He added that turning old bottles into something new was also a big win for the environment. “The raw materials are everywhere and liter every corner. We get them at brothels, parties, weddings, birthday ceremonies, on the streets and just anywhere, and shape them into what we want,” he explained.

He said that the firm was “a large industry for interior decoration” that was creating jobs for many people. Kyarshik regretted that the nation had a large army of unemployed youths, and blamed that on “laziness and lack of initiative” on the part of the youths, and lack of encouragement by the leadership.

He said that the company was also recycling plastic products and turning heaps of pure water sachets, empty water bottles and other biodegradable items into tiles. “The tiles from plastic last forever. Plastic roofing tiles are also cheaper and last longer,” he said. Kyarshik said that electric poles were also being made from recycled plastic materials, and explained that such poles were usually lighter but stronger than those made from wood and cement.

He said that 50,000 jobs were being created from the recycling ventures, and advised Nigerians to take more risks if the nation was to grow like its developed counterparts. The managing director advised the Federal Government to ease the process of accessing loans for young entrepreneurs seeking to start up new businesses by dealing directly with the applicants, rather than through consultants. “Consultants frustrate people from accessing credit facilities.

They constitute a huge bottleneck and impede progress. Unfortunately, those handling the loan facilities insist on working only through them. “They (consultants) make the process too tedious by insisting on writing the proposals on behalf of the applicants, conducting feasibility studies and carrying out various checks on behalf of the loan issuing institutions. “In most cases, applicants spend millions of naira as consultancy fees without accessing the credit facilities,” he lamented. Kyarshik urged the Federal Government to set up a monitoring and evaluation team to check the “unholy marriage” between the consultants and the loan issuing institutions to minimize the exploitation of credit seekers.

He also decried multiple taxation by various organizations, saying that his outfits were paying taxes to local, state and federal governments, the Plateau and Federal internal revenue services, among many others.

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Wine bottle recycling plant established in Jos