Geodrill lights up recycled plastic Xmas trees
With barely two weeks to Christmas, international drilling services company, Geodrill Limited, has lighted up an innovative Christmas trees made from used plastic water bottles.
Geodrill commissioned Mckingtorch Africa, which constructed Africa’s tallest Christmas tree in Accra made from recycled plastics, to put another version of the masterpiece together.
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The recycled materials were collected from the international drilling services company’s waste segregation station set up on site for employees in its manufacturing base in the Ashanti Region.
The waste segregation set-up was part of Geodrill’s pledge to reduce environmental impact of its operations.
The Christmas trees are for the company’s Kumasi manufacturing base and in the local township.
“It most certainly has encouraged employees to be conscious of their plastic use and recycling, creating a zero waste culture,” Head of Human Resources of Geodrill, Iddi Baah-Kurey, explained.
“Being able to visualise the quantity of plastic we use, as well as promoting its re-use value, has been a source of excitement on site,” he added.
To ensure waste is sorted and collected correctly on site large decorative plastic collection points feature at the Geodrill base in Anwiankwanta, near Kumasi.
Over 2,000 used bottles were put to use this year, with the used bottles from site being transformed into a glittering Christmas tree.
To share the message of recycling plastic and the spirit of Christmas, trees were built for the local community in the township near the Geodrill base.
Brainchild
Award-winning artist and environmental entrepreneur, Makafui Awuku, is the brainchild of the creation of the festive 20-foot Christmas trees out of used plastic bottles.
Since 2017, Mr Awuku has led teams of volunteers to create upcycled plastic Christmas trees around Accra, with the trees growing in size and complexity each year.
This year, Ashanti got its first tree, and it has been most well received.
Geodrill, which manufactures rigs for African terrain and operates a drilling training academy employing over 50 local staff, is among the first companies that backed the artist to carry through her ideas and innovation of using used plastics for useful artefacts.
The drilling company installed the first CNC cutting machinery in Ghana, and has long been a pioneer in engineering achievements in the country, priding itself on ensuring minimal environmental impact in its operations, and has previously commissioned an innovative bus station made of plastic waste in Dzorwulu in Accra.