People living in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi will soon be able to join in efforts to help recycle the huge number of drinks cans and plastic bottles which are presently being dumped in landfills.
About 15 special kiosks will be set up at Emarat petrol stations in the two emirates at the beginning of the new year, according to an executive of a company which has initiated the project in the UAE.
The special kiosks separate the glass and plastic bottles and cans automatically.
Future plans include involving schoolchildren in the recycling project.
The recycling units or kiosks will also be set up in schools and major supermarket chains.
Lars Radberg, managing director of Nordic House, which makes the recycling kiosks, said it has proposed that the Federal Environment Authority implement a “deposit legislation.”
At present there is no incentive to recycle, he said.
He said that if the legislation was passed, a consumer would have to pay a little extra when buying a can or a bottle.
This money would then be reimbursed when they returned the container.
He said the legislation had been very successful in European countries, with 90 per cent of returns on all beverages sold.
About 40 per cent of domestic waste in the UAE consists of drinks cans.
About a billion of these are dumped in landfills every year.
If recycled these cans will make huge savings, said Radberg.
Dubai Municipality had rolled out plans in 1996 to curtail domestic waste over a period of time, but failed as the waste increased to 1,252 kg per person last year.
About 600 million cans of soft drinks are consumed in the UAE every year — and consumption goes up dramatically during Ramadan and in the summer.
Presently there are 15 kiosks in Dubai. Customers who deposit the cans and bottles are given rewards at petrol stations’ convenience stores.
Many customers have won prizes, such as laptops. Dubai residents wishing to recycle their drinks cans and bottles can go to filling stations at Jebel Ali, Jumeirah Beach, Safa, Al Diyafa, Al Wasl, Al Ahded, Medares, Al Bustan, Rajhan, Al Naharwan, Bin Hindi, Wejdan, Nad Al Hamar, Toufan and Muteena.
Airport launches paper-saving project
Sharjah International Airport has launched a paper recycling project and special collection boxes have been set up in all its offices.
Airport employees have received talks on the value of recycling, according to a release.
It said figures show that for every tonne of paper used for recycling, 30,000 litres of water are saved, together with around 3,000 to 4,000 kilowatts of electricity, this would power a three-bedroom house for a year.
Environmental pollution is also reduced greatly, it said.
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