Volunteers Collected Over 11 Tonnes Of Waste For Recycling In Dubai

According to the media report, the area covered by the campaign was Saih Al Salam, a stretch of 10 square kilometeres divided into four clean-up sites.

The 11,300 kg of collected waste was segregated by the EEG and the volunteers to remove the recyclables; the rest of the waste was handed over to the municipality for further processing and disposal.

The drive was held in the presence and with the active participation of Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, UAE Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, as well as EEG executive committee members and several officials from the government and private sectors, the report stated.

Almheiri praised the volunteers and said: "Volunteerism reflects our values in the UAE and has seen an impressive uptake as an important social practice to give back to the community." We perceive the work of volunteers as an integral part of our efforts to protect the environment and sustain its natural resources, as it raises public awareness of the importance of our fragile eco systems and engages a wider community in conserving them, in line with the objectives of the government. "The Clean UAE campaign is a shining example of community engagement in a noble mission."

Habiba Al Mar’ashi, co-founder and chairperson of EEG, said: "We initially rolled out this campaign in 2002 with the aim of inculcating sustainable practices amongst the different sectors of society in the UAE. It has been rebranded to "Clean UAE," and the journey has been ongoing for the last 20 years with a consistent message: "Environmental protection is everyone’s responsibility."

She added: "The group has been at the forefront of driving strategies and campaigns that align directly with the UAE’s move towards "circularity." "The aim of the leadership is to reduce landfill waste to zero by 2030; it is an ambitious one, but we are confident that strides achieved through this campaign are very much aligned with achieving the set targets and will help accelerate the UAE’s transition to net zero and sustainable ecosystems," said the report.

By Sumita Pawar