A Chinese recycling factory, Infinity Energy Enterprise, has been accused of operating illegally at the Nyambai Forest by officials of the National Environmental Agency (NEA). The Forestry Department has also  raised concerns about the location of the Chinese factory.   

The factory which was issued a licence to recycle old tires to produce fuel has been accused of failing to submit the required documents to the NEA as the area around Nyambai Forest is a protected zone. The NEA officials said it is illegal for the factory to burn tires in the area.

It was also accused of recycling waste oil which was not part of the submission the company made to the NEA. Residents living nearby have complained of strong toxic-like smell coming from the factory.   

Lamin Samateh, programme Officer at the NEA, said when they received complaints from the residents, a fact-finding team was sent to the factory complex to investigate. He said a report by the investigation team has been submitted to the director of the environmental agency for actions to be taken.

“Once the recommendation is approved, we are going to act against the factory. I’m not trying to pre-empt anything, but I want to believe that the recommendation is to have the factory shut down. If you don’t have an environmental approval, then your factory is not supposed to operate,” said Samateh.

He added that for any factory to operate in The Gambia, it must have approval from the environmental authorities.

“We could even take legal action against them because it is a criminal offence to operate a factory without NEA approval.”

All attempts to reach the factory owners, Infinity Energy Enterprise, proved futile.