16,000 Dubai households to segregate waste at source

Dubai: Over 16,000 villas in Umm Suqeim, Al Safa, Barsha, Al Manara and Jumeirah will get green and black bins in the next two months to segregate waste at source, XPRESS has learnt.

“The municipality drive will cover all villa homes between Al Barsha and December 2 Street. Last year we had a similar initiative in Al Mizhar and Nad Al Hammar. We will extend it to Bur Dubai and Karama after coming up with a plan to reach residents living in apartments,” Abdulmajeed A. Saifaie, Director of the Waste Management Department, told XPRESS.

The bins will be placed outside homes and the garbage will be collected by muncipality trucks.

Waste segregation at source helps reduce pressure on landfills.

Dubai generates 7,800 tonnes of waste daily, but only about 10 per cent of it is recycled.

“That’s why our recycling facility remains under-utlised. It has the capacity to process 2,000 tonnes a day, but it is recyling roughly 1,000 tonnes daily. No waste should go to landfills. By dumping it there we are using up land and also creating environment hazards,” said Saifaie.

“Two new landfills are coming up in Al Qusais and Al Bayada. We have five landfills already and we do not want any more,” he said.

Saifaie said 90 per cent of malls and shopping centres in Dubai have started segregating waste.

“Shortly we will ask them to start public awareness campaigns about waste segregation,” he said.

The civic body will privatise waste management services in preparation for Expo 2020, said Saifaie. “We do not have the detailed plan, but we will bring private companies to manage waste right from the stage of collection. The idea is to bring in more business and that is what we also plan to do.”