New e-scrap rules are to be introduced in the UAE. Retailers in the emirates will be required by law to supply a collection box for unwanted devices, batteries and other electronic scrap, the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment has said. Colour-coded recycling bins will also soon be introduced across the country, as per the statement.

Suppliers will be legally required to dispose of any e-scrap in collaboration with local authorities. Suppliers are also mandated to collect electronic waste and batteries from consumers free of charge by providing collection boxes at their retail outlets, and recycling them or properly disposing of them in coordination with the competent authority, said the ministry.   

The ministry set out executive regulations to a law first passed by the Cabinet in 2018. The regulations outline the requirements of the Federal Law No. 12 of 2018, including the roles and responsibilities of concerned authorities, waste generators, and suppliers, as well as the technical specifications applicable to landfills. 

The colour-coded recycling bins will be introduced across the country, as per the statement. To facilitate proper waste segregation, over the course of the coming decade, the concerned authorities will provide color-coded containers across the UAE, said the ministry. Green is for recyclable waste – paper, cardboard, metal, glass, plastic waste, and other types of waste specified by the competent authority, while black is for non-recyclable general waste, brown is for food and organic waste, and red is for hazardous waste.

The regulations also outline the requirements for sound management of hazardous waste, including its segregation, treatment, and reduction under the supervision of the concerned authority.