Battling the bins

 

Sunaina Rana / Emirates Business

Introducing novel and state-of-the-art technologies in waste management, UAE aims to lead the way in eco-friendliness.
The Emirates has been focusing profoundly on the elements and techniques of recycling over the past few years. Development of the recycling industry as well as promoting new and innovative ways to collect and process all types of recyclable materials are the objectives laid down.
Tadweer — the main governmental entity that handles all the activities related to the development of waste management services — has the largest recycling plant for plastic containers in the country. The facility processes plastic recovered by the sorting station, from mixed waste collected from households and business
establishments.
As per the government’s statistics, as much as 13 million tonnes of waste was collected in Abu Dhabi in 2012. The number has evidently gone up from the previous record of 9.6 million tonnes in 2009. On the other hand, waste collected in Dubai has reduced from 21.8 million tonnes in 2009 to 9.6 million tonnes in 2012, the report says.
UAE-based companies have been taking initiatives to utilise the state-of-the-art technology and professional expertise to ensure maximum diversion
and processing of the waste material.
Talking to Emirates Business, Jamal Abdullah Lootah, CEO, Imdaad, one of the leading providers of integrated facilities and waste management solutions in the GCC, said, “With the growing awareness about the importance of green and sustainable planet, the FM sector has gradually positioned itself as a vital industry that can contribute in creating an optimal, safe and healthy environment. Our primary concern is that the FM industry is still in stages of infancy in the GCC when compared to Europe and the US which have mature markets. With emphasis on well-maintained facilities, which can enhance building’s lifecycle and performance, save energy consumption, reduce operational costs, and increase revenue, the challenge is to offer the best solutions that offer value-for-money.”

WASTE RECORDED
Tadweer recorded 1.73 kg waste generated per person /day in 2015. According to the filed in at Eco-Waste, an annual conference hosted by Masdar, the sustainable energy company last year reported that the waste generated by the UAE will increase from 6.6 million tonnes in 2010 to 8.4 million tonnes by 2017. For the whole Arabian Gulf, almost 29 million tonnes of rubbish will be generated, creating a waste management industry that potentially could be worth Dh6.2 billion.
It has been witnessed that food waste accounts for 55 per cent of waste generated in Dubai, and each Ramadan season, the emirate disposes of as much as 1,850 tonnes of food, which comes to almost a kilogram for each resident. The amount of waste generated in the UAE will increase by from 6.6 million tonnes to 8.4 million tonnes by 2017, a recently-released report stated.
Though recycling is perhaps a new concept that has been incorporated by the country, it has been witnessed that over the past few years the UAE government has been taking some significant initiatives to promote different recycling projects and getting the public involved in the campaigns.
The Dubai authorities have projected that the city recycles 25 per cent of its refuse, but it targets to achieve their goal of 75 per cent by 2021. Private companies along with the government play a vital role in contributing towards the target.
“In line with the ongoing initiatives, we aim to position ourselves as the key players in
the growth of the regional FM industry as we introduce cutting-edge technologies and innovative techniques in FM such as Polished Water Plant and Material Recovery Facility. “Imdaad also boasts of eco-friendly equipment with sustainability as the primary goals across all its operations. In addition, we conduct recycling training and provide free recycling bins in some of its projects to handle waste management to tackle the issue of awareness,” says Lootah.

STATE-OF-THE-ART TECH
HE Eisa Saif Al Qubaisi, General Manager of Tadweer, Abu Dhabi, said, “There are different technologies for different kinds of waste. For example, The
existing Plastic plant technology used is ‘A German technology (Stirrer Type) for Rigid Plastic.”
“Tadweer Plastic recycling plant is located in the city of Al Ain near waste sorting plant and fertilizer plant, and is considered the largest recycling plant for plastic containers in the United Arab Emirates. The facility processes plastic recovered by the sorting station, from mixed waste collected from households, business establishments, and organisations across the Al Ain area and are send for recycling process. The plastic recycling plant works by using the latest modern technology equipment, with a total production capacity of 50 tons per day,” he added.
Tadweer’s plastic granules is one of the projects that is environmental friendly which dish up the purpose of protecting the environment by utilising one of the company’s natural resources and saving the landfill from contamination.
During this process, the plant is premeditated to handle the polyethylene bags which stay in the landfill for years and years.
Further, when the plastic undergoes the granulating, it involves cleaning, shredding and pelletize the plastic to be ready as raw materials. It emphasis on reducing the impact on the environment, to achieve that the company has a waste water unit is accompanying the granule line to recycle the water to be reused again and again within the stages of the process.
Tadweer handles all the activities related to the development of waste management services, from the collection, transport, treatment, and safe disposal in an efficient and economical way across the Abu Dhabi.
It also uses different sizes of municipal waste collection bins ranging from 7m3, 1.1m3 to 240 liters, with its recycling
factories established in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.
Imdaad, on the other hand, focusses on integrated facilities, waste, and energy management solutions in the GCC. It has officially opened its
new state-of-the-art Imdaad Manzeli staff accommodation in Jebel Ali.
“For the next five years,
we have drafted a visionary roadmap that will allow us
to achieve more structured growth and planned development. Our objective for the mid-term is to penetrate into newer markets in the GCC and beyond by signing strategic partnerships to create more viable opportunities in the FM sector. As a socially responsible company, we also aim to offer more green and sustainable services,” said Lootah.
The company has made substantial investments in the recycling industry as it has evolved. The government and non-government organisations have played a vital role in bring in the revolution.
“Recycling is crucial to the environmental goals of UAE Vision 2021 in which it aims to divert 75 per cent of all generated waste away from landfills. By 2030, a 98 per cent diversion rate is being eyed. Consumers must do their part in this important effort. As such, numerous educational and awareness programs on the benefits of recycling and using recyclable materials are being implemented at the national and global levels to meet the set goals,” he added.