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Going Green in the GCC - Government-Led Waste Management Initiatives |
Waste management has been characterized as one of the single most important issues we face as a human race... How do we manage the growing amounts of waste in a sustainable manner?
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As the region tackles the current financial crisis, the global economic crisis and the regional military crisis, it is no surprise that the environmental crisis is easily overshadowed. A recent global study reported the GCC as one of the world’s largest waste producers (on a per capita basis). The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was listed as the country with the largest carbon footprint, largely blamed on the construction boom, but also assisted by a population that enjoys the world’s highest consumer spending per capita. With over 120 million tons of waste being produced by the region each year, the governments of the GCC have placed the issue of...
waste management on the top of the agenda. Historically, the low cost of landfills and the abundant availability of land (especially in the case of Saudi Arabia, one of the largest waste producers in the region), have made recycling seem an unjustifiable venture. Now, municipalities around the region are making a concerted effort, backed by billions of dollars of investment, into developing an efficient and environmentally-friendly waste management industry.
The partnership between the governments and the private sector has been a persistent characteristic of this industry. Technical expertise from all around the world has been introduced to help develop state-of-the-art infrastructures. Ahead of the game is the UAE’s capital city, Abu Dhabi, which has already pledged US$136 million for the operation and management of a municipal solid waste treatment and disposal plant. In addition, the government has awarded a $345 million contract to develop a ‘home solid waste-recycling project’. Abu Dhabi is also building the world’s third plastic recycling center that can produce high quality plastics safe for home and food storage use. It also claims a zero-carbon and zero-waste city, Masdar City, which aims at a zero carbon footprint, and complete waste-to-energy solutions. (Masdar City Phase I is expected to open in 2009.)
Also setting an example is the emirate of Dubai, which has recently allocated $20 billion to encourage waste-to-energy projects. Seeking to improve technical industry know-how, the Dubai municipality is investing in the development of efficient methods for waste sorting. A proposed new 1,500,000 square foot recycling park, the Dubai Recycling Park, will be the first of its kind in the Middle East. The private company, National Projects Holding Co., will manage the park and will work in conjunction with the planned $17.5 million Emirates Recycling Park, which is designed to convert construction waste into usable road and construction material.
Other public/private initiatives include: the Dubai Municipality & Serkal Group launch of the $2.7 million waste treatment facility; the Sharjah Municipality partnership with Sharjah Environmental Company to manage its world-class Al Saja’eh recycling plant; a paper recycling initiative by the Sharjah International Airport; a cell phone recycling initiative by the Dubai Municipality; and, a $75 million contract between Al Ain Municipality and the Sharjah-based Austrian firm to operate a waste management facility.
In Saudi Arabia, the government has allocated a $200 million waste management budget, as well as $5 million towards a treatment and recycling plant for waste oil. Additionally, a Dammam-based tire recycling plant is poised for major expansion, and projects are being considered for industrial waste recovery and domestic wastewater treatment.
Qatar Municipalities have also recently awarded two contracts of $1.7 billion and $3.9 billion to Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) for the 20-year operations and maintenance of an integrated solid waste management facility.
The Middle East region is bracing itself for higher water prices and investing over $100 billion to address solutions over the next decade. Water recycling and treatment will be a pressing issue for the future. In Bahrain, the leading waste recycling company, Zero Waste Technology W.L.L., has partnered with Bluewater Bio International to lead the way in advanced wastewater treatment solutions, which is one of the most serious issues facing the GCC.
To address all the abovementioned issues, the Dubai Municipality will host the region’s first Middle East Waste Summit in May 2009. The summit will bring together leading professionals in the industry to address challenges covering a range of themes including the effects of waste on global climate change, waste-to-energy initiatives, construction waste and domestic waste control. The Middle East Waste Summit will complement Kuwait’s 2nd Waste Management Conference & Exhibition scheduled for April 2009 with the collaboration of Kuwait Municipality, which will focus on sharing strategies and solutions for the region’s waste and recycling professionals. en.v
Do you think the current financial crisis has stolen the limelight away from the environmental crisis that the world is facing today?
Yes, definitely, because without financing, you can’t really implement environmental projects – especially since the concern is now how to keep business running.
How receptive have companies & individuals been to the concept of waste management?
For the past two years, the idea has been highly welcomed by both companies and individuals, and we are receiving more inquires about having public recycling centers so that more people can sort their waste. But still, we need to reach to a bigger platform of people.
What are the most common hurdles faced by a company like yours in pushing forward the concept of waste management?
No legislations enforcing people to sort their waste, and no proper and comprehensive awareness campaigns and education to support us.
Do you think ample initiatives are being undertaken to tackle the environmental crisis the region is facing today?
There are good initiatives that have been taken by the municipalities or the private sector to tackle this subject, but still, there needs to be a lot more that should be done to enforce rules and legislations towards executing environmental standards.
What steps are being taken to raise awareness among the general public about your services and its impact on the environment?
We are trying our best to approach companies, schools and individuals to create a joint venture to work as one hand in spreading the concept of sorting at the source. We participate in events and campaigns towards that concept. We also conduct a lot of awareness presentations about waste management.
By Reem Sweid
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