Veolia's RECAPP, TotalEnergies launch recycling initiative in UAE

In a significant step towards boosting recycling capacities of the country, Veolia through its RECAPP service and TotalEnergies Marketing Middle East (TEMME) have forged a new partnership for a sustainability initiative to roll out an innovative recycling solution across TotalEnergies service centers in UAE.

For the key sustainability initiative, Veolia will be deploying its digital recycling solution Recapp in bid to help TotalEnergies optimize its end-of-life product recovery and recycling process at its TMME service centres, thus enabling the company to contribute positively to the environment.

This collaborative effort will involve recycling of over 40,000 lubricant containers per year through shredding with oil containment separation process, followed by processing, grinding and transforming them into recycled High Density Polyethylene (rHDPE) recycled plastics, ready as secondary raw material produced by eCyclex - a Dubai Municipality approved recycling facility.

This initiative is first-of-its-kind in the automotive industry and aligns with TotalEnergies’ sustainable development approach, it stated.

According to Veolia, it is a pilot project, with plans to extend the concept to a larger array of service centres in the future.

It contributes to global efforts on transformation toward circularity and closing the plastic loop. In particular, it contributes to UAE's efforts to curb plastic pollution. UAE recently launched an integrated program to monitor plastic waste in the marine and coastal environment of the country, and shall be imposing a nationwide ban on single-use plastic bags starting January 2024.

Jérôme Viricel, General Manager of Recapp at Veolia Near & Middle East, said: "We are thrilled to formalise this important partnership and launch our new recycling initiative. While utilizing Recaap's years of expertise in the field, the initiative will further promote the recyclability of empty plastic lubricant containers sold by TotalEnergies' service center partners by helping to divert these containers from landfills and repurpose them in a new way, boosting broader recycling initiatives in the country."

"It’s an important step towards promoting sustainable practices and addressing environmental challenges in the UAE, particularly as the country observed 2023 as the Year of Sustainability and hosted COP28 two months ago," he stated.

Thomas Vigneron, Managing Director at TotalEnergies Marketing Middle East, said: "As a responsible multi-energy company, TotalEnergies continuously strives to encourage the adoption of responsible waste management practices."

"With Recapp, TotalEnergies aims to work with our network of service centers to promote a circular economy for plastics, optimize waste management in the region and align with the UAE Circular Economy Policy 2021 – 2031," he added