As part of an international expansion strategy, the environmental subsidiary of ACS Group, signed an agreement to deliver waste management and street cleaning services in Bahrain for five years.

Manama, Bahrain 6 August, 2016

Urbaser, the Spanish multinational leader in waste management, commenced waste collection and street cleaning services in the Northern and Southern municipalities of the Kingdom of Bahrain on the 1st July 2016, following the signing of a five year Services Contract on the 8th of December 2015.

The agreement with Urbaser, a Company that collects over 50 million tons of waste per year globally and operates more than 75 waste treatment units, includes the collection of domestic waste, green waste, construction & demolition and bulky waste, in addition to manual and mechanical sweeping, street washing, bin and container maintenance, and beach and park cleaning in the Kingdom's Northern and Southern municipalities.

Commenting on the commencement of activities, President of Urbaser Sa. Mr. Jose Maria said: "Urbaser is extremely pleased to begin its operations in the Kingdom of Bahrain through its local subsidiary. We have invested BHD 9.5 million in equipment, vehicles and workshop facilities in order to implement the most advanced systems in waste management. This includes the operation of a fleet of more than 200 vehicles, comprising innovative solar powered vehicles for park and garden cleaning."

Among the innovations that Urbaser will implement in Bahrain is the "SmartUS', solution. The SmartUS is a state of the art satellite positioning system that provides information about the position of vehicles and bins, and the weight of collection vehicles. The pioneering system will help Urbaser plan and monitor works in Bahrain and ensure maximum efficiency in order to achieve the Company's ambitious targets.

Currently, Urbaser is developing a model platform for collection and waste management in the Kingdom and is focused on the selection and training of its 1,400 employees; 200 of whom are Bahraini nationals who will be actively trained and developed in the field of waste management. Urbaser will also be launching a comprehensive social awareness campaign and waste management educational program that will target the Kingdom's schools in order to promote recycling and waste management in the home.

Mr. Maria added: "At the onset of our services, Urbaser faced a number of challenges. These included a lack of support from the previous contractor, which created substantial waste accumulation, in addition to challenging terrain. Although Ubaser utilized substantial resources, we managed to stabilize and take control of the situation in record time. This achievement was made possible by the excellent support provided to us by the Ministry, and on behalf of Urbaser, I would like to thank His Excellency the Minister, Mr Ésam Khalaf, the Undersecretary Dr. Nabeel Abu Elfath, the Heads of the Northern and Southern Municipal Council, and the Municipal Council members."

Spain is now the third strongest economy in Europe, and ACS, the parent company of Urbaser, and one of the world's leading environmental companies, is the country's largest listed holding company with an annual 35billion euro turnover. Urbaser, which achieved a revenue of 1.63 billion euros in 2015, plans to make Bahrain its GCC hub.

"The friendly and unbiased treatment we received as an international company has made us view Bahrain as an ideal foreign direct investment platform for future investments and developments. We are very optimistic about positioning Bahrain as Urbaser's Middle East and Asian Headquarters. Bahrain will lead the Company's growth in the MENA region and become a center of excellence for research & development and modular plants in the global waste management field", Mr. Maria concluded.

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About Urbaser
Urbaser is a Spanish award winning multinational industry leader in waste management and treatment. The Company has a proven international track record of cleaning more than 8 million kilometers of streets annually in major cities around the world and is renowned for bringing innovative waste management technologies that transform waste into resources. Urbaser is a trusted, professional organization that adheres to the strictest quality controls. It specializes in street cleaning, waste removal and transportation, urban waste treatment and recycling, and comprehensive management of the water cycle, urban landscaping and gardening, and is a leader in removal and treatment of used mineral oils and in the treatment and removal of industrial waste. URBASER covers the entire value chain; from designing and conception, carrying out the project, construction, financing to the operation of a highly-qualified professional team. URBASER also operates in the field of renewable energies with a view to limiting the negative impact of greenhouse gases, for the purpose of which it is developing treatment processes for alternative sources of energy, biomass from biomass crops, waste woodland mass, biodegradable agricultural and industrial waste.

© Press Release 2016