In recent decades the Middle East, particularly the UAE, has experienced a rapid population growth and this along with the fast-track developments that have taken place have led to an increase and accumulation of waste material from various sources, calling for urgent action to safeguard the environment. Realizing the need for improvement within this sector, individual emirates are looking at different solutions to deal with the issue.

Sharjah has been at the forefront of these initiatives through Bee'ah, the leading integrated environmental and waste management company, which recently unveiled its AED100 million waste management investment program.

As part of its efforts to bring about the best possible solutions to the emirate, Bee'ah has signed a cooperative agreement with the NL Agency of the Netherlands – a country that is distinguished for its most sophisticated waste to energy, e-waste and waste management facilities and solutions in the world.  This working arrangement will see the NL Agency provide expert intelligence to Bee'ah to establish a sustainable waste management solution across Sharjah. 

Why Netherlands because The Netherlands is one of the best performing countries in the world in waste management. It .has mastered the art of recycling and is assisting countries that are now starting to invest in these types of activities and advising them on crucial matters. The country recycles 80 per cent of its waste. In the realm of recycling this is a unique achievement and the Dutch approach is simple: avoid creating waste as much as possible, recover the valuable raw materials from it, generate energy by incinerating residual waste, and only then dump what is left over in an environment-friendly manner. This approach – known as "Lansink's Ladder" after the Member of the Dutch Parliament who proposed it – was incorporated into the Dutch legislation in 1994 and forms the basis of the 'waste hierarchy' in the European Waste Framework Directive.

UAE is exploring various options  to improve recycling and waste management in the country.

To reduce the amount of waste generated by households, Authorities in Abu Dhabi  (UAE's capital) are studying a plan to charge residents for their waste and that will, in turn, encourage them to recycle. This plan to charge residents for collection of waste by mid-2016 is part of its strategic plan to encourage recycling in the emirate.

The pay-as-you-throw scheme charges residents for the collection of waste and was introduced as early as the 1970s in the US, and has currently been implemented in a number of communities worldwide, including Japan, Canada, Austria and Spain.

Study is made as part of the waste management's master plan that falls in line with UAE Vision 2021 — a federal plan to improving the quality of air, preserving water resources, increasing the contribution of clean energy and achieving sustainable development.

It is a difficult task to carry out, and that is why careful consideration is being made on how to draw up the plans, but aim is to have the rules and regulations ready and in place by the middle of next year.

The authority is currently weighing two options, of whether to charge residents per family member or per rooms in each household but residents will feel the pinch on their pockets either way.

The proposal to charge residents for the management of waste was revealed recently  at the 6th Annual Waste Management Middle East Forum, where officials from Dubai Municipality also announced that they intend to charge waste management companies by the beginning of 2016.

Regulations like this will force people to sort their waste at source and will eventually reduce the quantity of waste going to landfills.

Waste management companies are currently charged Dh10 per vehicle to dispose of their waste at municipal landfills and other designated sites. With the new proposal in place, private companies will have to pay by the tonne  instead.

To reduce household waste , Municipalities are also planning to raise the number of recycling centres in communities, and carrying out a number of strategies to shift the culture towards a sustainable one.

Not only the capital Abu Dhabi , but Dubai also is planning to charge more for rubbish dumped at its landfill sites. As part of Dubai's plan and to encourage recycling, it will also be building  thirteen new recycling centres. Even in Dubai , waste disposal companies will be charged according to the weight and type of waste.

I personally feel that it is a brilliant idea to recycle. Fee collection of waste, should act as a deterrent to defaulters of the system.

Waste contains a lot of resources which can be recycled. Moreover, there are issues such as carbon footprint and looming scarcity of material in the near future, so there is a need for such schemes which will solve the problem of material scarcity and waste disposal .

Source : Gulf News , Waste Recycling ME