By Maryam Khalfan
MUSCAT -- Tanuf Natural Mineral Water has joined the plastic recycling project of the Environment Society of Oman (ESO) to collect plastic bottles and deliver them to their new recycling plant Horizon Technologies FZE, in Fujairah, UAE. The company is the first organisation in the Sultanate to take advantage of the scheme of Oman Botanic Garden (OBG), it was announced at a press briefing at the OBG yesterday. The recycling initiative is supported by the ESO, Tanuf Natural Mineral Water and Horizon Technologies.
The scheme is designed to enable the recycling of plastic bottles to save precious resources and to help reduce the carbon footprint in addressing global warming as well as to encourage other organisations and firms to protect the environment. "The new plant has a huge capacity; it can process 20,000 tonnes of plastic per year. We are already collecting plastic from Dubai and the more we can source from the Sultanate the better," said Pankaj Chugh, Regional Manager, Tanuf.
Nida Helou, Manager, ESO said: "We are pleased to join efforts with Tanuf to carry the plastic recycling project forward. When plastic bottles cannot be avoided or reused they should be recycled to keep them away from landfills. "Over the last decade, per capita consumption of bottled water has more than doubled and around 1.5 million tonnes of plastic are used worldwide for water bottling purposes annually. So, for the success of the initiative, I urge everyone to start segregating plastic bottles for recycling."
To start with, collection containers sponsored by Tanuf will be placed at organisations and business centres for collection of their plastic bottles and containers. The first container was launched at OBG, the new project to conserve and promote the Sultanate's flora and plant-based heritage. "It is so important for OBG to be part of this scheme, as the whole garden will be about promoting a more sustainable way of living to minimise our impact on the planet. One very simple way to do this is by reducing the amount of waste we produce, reusing what we can and recycling as much as possible.
"I am really pleased the new container means I can bring in all my bottles from home and know that my family are reducing what we send to the landfill sites," said Dareen Mehdi, Environmental Education Specialist, OBG. Craig Tucker, Sustainability Manager of Bovis Lend Lease, the project managers of OBG noted that "the scheme fits extremely well with the many other recycling initiates we already have in place on site.
We are constantly trying to reduce the effects of building the garden and are pleased to join the ESO and National Mineral Water with this programme. The ESO is the only environmental non-governmental organisation in Oman that seeks to protect the natural and human environments through the enhancement of environmental knowledge and the promotion of sustainable consumption and production practices at the community, business and decision-making levels.
© Oman Daily Observer 2008
