DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates leads the world in per capita consumption of bottled water, according to a report by the Worldwatch Institute. An estimated 275 liters are consumed annually per person in the UAE. This makes up approximately between 350 to 450 bottles of water that go to waste by each person every year, of which only a small percentage of them end up being recycled. many U.A.E. residents dispose their used plastics in the general waste stream, which make up 10 percent of the total waste that ends up in landfills. Once recovered by waste management efforts, they are found to be unclean and cannot be reused. As a result, 400 tonnes of recycled plastic are being imported per month by several companies which require this important commodity to supply their operations. Leading environmental organization, Bee'ah, has set out plans to do something about that. A recent research by Bee'ah found that one of the highest contributors to the present recycling levels has been plastic with a 700 percent increase from the first quarter of the year 2010 to that of 2011. A total of 1,649 tons of PET plastic and 1,693 tonnes of mixed plastic were recovered from the general municipal waste stream generated by the city of Sharjah in 2010. Bee'ah estimates that there could be up to 5 to 6 times more plastic that could be recycled in Sharjah if it were disposed of properly by the community. “There is a growing demand by UAE companies to use recycled plastic materials, but unfortunately due to a lack of clean plastic bottles and containers as well as waste-scavenging, there is an insufficient supply of recycled plastic in our country,” explained Khaled Al Huraimel, Chief Executive Officer of Bee'ah. “To solve this issue, Bee'ah has already installed pedestrian 3-stream recyclers across Sharjah, as well as a recycling deport in Al Qasba to encourage residents to bring in their recyclables. We are also in the process of rolling out numerous other initiatives and infrastructure projects that aim to facilitate the community's adoption of recycling as a habit that is easy and convenient to all. Additionally Bee'ah is also undergoing various activities to spread environmental awareness throughout the Emirate.” Several companies have invested and set up their organisation in the U.A.E., based on the expectation that there is a high potential for residents to use plastic water bottles and containers throughout their daily routines. According to BBC news, “The UAE has the highest per capita consumption of bottled water in the Middle East and it is set to increase by 50% over the next three years.” Huraimel added, “a number of companies have established their operations on the basis of the forecasted plastic consumption rates and reports of high expectations. However, the U.A.E. community is not recycling enough plastic to meet the demand for those companies who require recycled plastic materials, in order to turn this commodity into raw materials for their processes and thereby, help reduce the areas occupied by our growing landfills.” Bee'ah, the Middle East's leading and award-winning integrated environmental and waste management company, is urging the community to recycle clean plastic to meet the increasing demand for companies who have invested in the green industry and which require recycled plastic materials. BM
