The Roundtable discussion, which underscored the need for collaboration and action in terms of comprehensive legislation on waste recycling in the UAE, was supported by Istanbul Group of Companies and attended by representatives of municipalities and experts supporting the waste management operations of various municipalities. The dialogue was moderated by Swaliha Shanavas, Editor, Waste & Recycling Middle East and Africa, and featured experts including Dr. Udayan Banerjee, Abu Dhabi Waste Management Centre; Eng. Abdulmajeed Saifaie, Dubai Municipality; Arwa Al Ali, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment; Kashif Javed Anjum, Istanbul Group of Companies; Afrasayab Javed Anjum, Istanbul Group of Companies; Rafael Lopez, Beeah Group; Oussama Al Natour, RAK Waste Management Agency; Fahad Al Hantoubi, Dibba Municipality; Munder Ali, Dibba Municipality; Eng. Salma Al Ali, Umm Al Quwain Municipality; and Syed Wajahat Ali, AIMS Group.

Abu Dhabi has constantly been looking at innovative solutions, said Dr. Udayan Banerjee, Policies and Legislations Specialist, Director General Office Tadweer – Abu Dhabi Waste Management Centre. “Following detailed feasibility studies, we are working towards establishing a facility to produce sustainable aviation fuel from municipal solid waste.” This is a first-of-its kind initiative in the region, and the Centre recently signed a joint project development agreement with Etihad Airways to produce sustainable aviation fuel, he noted.

Dr. Banerjee said there has to be a collective effort between various sectors to achieve carbon emission reduction. For instance, the transportation sector contributes to a huge amount of carbon emission. In the aviation industry, international aviation regulations require the sector to achieve a net reduction in carbon emissions of 50 per cent by 2050. So, the waste management sector worldwide is now working to help the aviation industry by producing aviation fuel, and they have a major role to play in supporting other industries as well, he said.

On meeting net zero targets, Rafael Lopez, CEO-Tandeef, Beeah Group Sharjah, said one needs to consider many factors; and rather than concentrating on treating the waste produced, one has to start at the beginning like the procurement of sustainable material, to transportation, the use, disposal and treatment, which would help reduce waste and be more sustainable. And sustainable waste management is not the responsibility of the municipalities or the service providers alone, and all the stakeholders including private companies, governments and the public should be involved in the process, he said. “Awareness and education programmes have to be implemented from the beginning that help change behaviour, so there is less work to be done.”

As per their strategy, Ras Al Khaimah has various waste recycling programmes. For instance, there are cement plants in the emirate, so they have introduced suitable technology for RDF to produce energy, said Oussama Al Natour, Director, Ras Al Khaimah Waste Management Agency. “We always consider having a sustainable model that is ecofriendly and economically viable. We focus on medical and hazardous waste management and food waste, among others,” he said.

Dibba Municipality had awarded Istanbul Group of Companies a five-year contract to operate and maintain the material recovery facility (MRF) for the municipality, said Fahad Al Hantoubi, Director General, Dibba Municipality. Prior to this, the municipality was responsible for the collection of solid waste and management of the MRF, which has two sorting lines capable of processing 500 tons of material per day. Eng. Salma Al Ali from Umm Al Quwain Municipality said the emirate had a sorting plant, and once the Emirates RDF plant (in its pilot phase now) becomes fully operational, they will transfer all the waste to the facility. Further, in collaboration with the private sector, the emirate has two facilities for medical waste and hazardous waste. A C&D waste recycling facility has also been established to treat this waste stream. “In the future we plan to deal more with the organic waste. We also plan to organise campaigns to raise awareness among the public,” said Al Ali.

Challenges

All the delegates at the table agreed that segregation was a major issue, and while various emirates have been implementing the two bin system, they have not been very successful in getting people to segregate.

In Abu Dhabi, for instance, they have had the two bin system for a few years now, but have not been able to achieve desired results, said Dr. Banerjee. Despite consistent efforts and awareness programmes, they have not been able to educate people in this regard, and even the recycling centres have not achieved much.

In Europe and other regions, the scenario is different because people have to pay for all the waste they produce, said Eng. Saifai, adding that there is a proper fee structure for various types of waste being disposed, so they adhere to these rules, which are lacking in this part of the world. He suggested having good sorting facilities to recover recyclables.

They receive many project proposals “and people always tell me certain things will work,” said Al Natour. But while it is beneficial to one country, it may not work in others, so one needs to weigh the pros and cons and share the experiences that would help make the right decision, he said. Legislation and fees can also be introduced here in the UAE but “it needs to be a well guided process,” he remarked. At present there are fees mainly for commercial waste, said Lopez. “We could put door-todoor bins for communities, but people don’t make the effort to segregate because there is no cost involved. The moment you introduce ‘pay as you throw’, they will be supportive.” Having worked in different emirates, he said different systems implemented were not very successful including the communal bin system in Sharjah.

“But we implemented door-to-door in a local community in Sharjah, and surprisingly that was successful. We are extending it to another area.” He said they started in 2019 in an area with eleven sectors, and they deployed the bins in phases working from house to house in each sector and also collecting data with RFID. They backed this up with awareness campaigns, and provided training for the owners of the house. They also did waste characterisation on the bins and explained to people what they did right and what was wrong. “Each of these neighborhoods took about three months, and the recovery rate now is around 34 per cent. This is not great, but there is progress and it’s the first positive experience that we had,” said Lopez.

The experts also highlighted the difference in the colour coding of waste bins in various emirates that could be confusing for the people. The colour coding has to be uniform across emirates and this has to come from the federal level, they said.

On the legislation front, Dr. Banerjee said considerable efforts are being made by MOCCAE, but some other ministries are also involved in certain aspects and everyone has to work together to close these gaps. For instance, PET bottles are recycled in Europe to produce rPET. But here rPET is not suitable as the Ministry of Food doesn’t accept it. These are the kind of gaps where all concerned entities have to work together to solve issues. “You have to explore as much as possible to maximise resources and minimise consumption of the natural resources,” he stressed.

AIMS Group has developed a waste strategy for Ajman, and has implemented various strategies and has set up a MRF where they process more than 800 tonnes of waste, “but achieving high recycling rates is a critical part, because we can give suggestions, but eventually the municipality has to decide on the strategy we need to implement,” said Syed Wajahat Ali, Head of Environment Division, AIMS Group Ajman.

The biggest challenge the emirate is facing is scavenging, he noted. “We have invested a lot and plan to improve our recycling operations, but we are not getting the recyclables.” They have also set up an RDF facility. The plan, he said, was to process all the waste arriving at the MRF, recover recyclables and then divert the remaining waste to the Emirates RDF facility, which has been designed to accept waste from Ajman and Umm Al Quwain. “As per the new plan being drawn up, all the waste will go directly to the RDF plant where it will be burnt and converted to RDF.” But recycling rates would be reduced, he lamented. Ajman would be diverting 70-80 per cent of waste from the landfill, but would that be a sustainable solution, he pondered. Again, Ajman recovers food waste from MSW and produces compost that is approved by MOCCAE. But there is no market for it, he noted.

In Ras Al Kahaimah, Al Natour said the food waste is processed and converted to compost on a small scale, but the advantage is that the material is used for landscaping in the emirate. “We also plan to set up a large composting plant to process all the tonnages we have.” Commenting on the Emirates RDF plant, he said once it becomes fully operational, they would be more than happy to invest along the same lines as Umm Al Quwain. Ras Al Khaimah has a MRF, so if they could work together, “it would be a win win situation” as they could also divert most of the remaining waste away from landfill, he noted.

One other aspect Dr. Banerjee expressed he would like to highlight was regarding the export of recyclables that have been an issue. For instance, while used tyres or newsprint paper are being exported, the local recycling facilities are suffering, he said, adding that they had done a complete survey and found that the recyclable material was not being exported as recyclables but as ‘secondary resource material’. In customs, they see it as secondary resource material, so it is not considered as waste. “This is the biggest challenge and a gap in the legislation” and the investments made in this country like paper, plastic and trye recycling facilities are suffering, he emphasised. “We need to take care of our resources. One of the key things is that there is a need to look into the gaps in the regulations.”

As another expert pointed out, materials recovered are to a great extent being traded rather than being recycled or reused here to create green jobs or new opportunities. If the feedstock, recycling facilities and the regulations are in place, it would be possible to solve problems.

“If you want to align your goals with the vision of the government to achieve net zero or circular economy, the gaps in waste management need to be closed, and there is a need to stop poor practices or illegal activities as valuable materials get lost in the process,” said Lopez. If the regulation is in place and recycling facilities are created in suitable locations in the country, based on the data and feedstock available, you can control all of that and can close the loop, he said, also stressing that in the light of the government’s net zero goals, the carbon footprint of transporting the material to other countries is much more than the footprint here which the sector is trying to reduce. So, all stakeholders need to analyse the situation and put in the right measures, he added.

Collaboration and legislation key for development

Eng. Abdulmajeed Saifaie, DirectorWaste Management, Dubai Municipality, expressed that every emirate was different in that each one had a different strategy and programme. “And what’s good for one emirate may not be suitable for another” as the requirements may be different, he stated. Waste is a major input to economic activity and “all stakeholders need to work together” for the sector’s development, he said.

In his view, waste management is a challenge, but if some good rules and regulations could be introduced, things will fall in place. As part of Dubai’s strategic plans to meet sustainability goals and divert waste away from landfill, the emirate had recently introduced a tipping fee.

In March, the Dubai government had approved and announced their strategy for waste management for the next 20 years, with emphasis on recycling. So, they are now working on a strategy to recycle as much as possible, but through private sector investments, said Eng. Saifaie. “There are a lot of opportunities for the private sector, and we can set up the right rules and regulations that would support these projects.” Highlighting the importance of all emirates working together, he said, “I hope one day we can have a uniform waste management strategy.”

Al Natour was of a similar view, and stated that some aspects of waste management could be centralised. He suggested that each emirate could focus on one key area based on their strengths. For instance, while one emirate could manage all the medical waste, another could tackle tyres, C&D waste, etc., to help improve efficiency and economic viability, with the environment ministry providing necessary support on these programmes.

There is a need to support existing facilities as it would make business sense, said Dr. Banerjee. When there is a facility that is operating at less than 40 per cent capacity, then it is a waste of economy and resources, “so it is a logical solution there has been proposed, and all of us have to work together to have centralised facilities across emirates.”

Lopez emphasised that “data is basic and very important to manage properly, and the lack of data is one of the challenges at present.”

All the experts agreed that the right data is required to understand if the necessary feedstock is available within the emirate or country and so on for a plant to run efficiently. “The authenticity of the data is also very important,” Dr. Banerjee cautioned. In Abu Dhabi and they perform regular audits at service providers and facilities, and there is a large gap, he noted. “So, authenticity of the data is important when you plan facilities.” If not, there will be problems in the implementation stage, he said.

Eng. Saifaie also highlighted the need for transparency and information sharing among emirates where each one could share the problems related to a project or factors for the success of a certain programme. Projects cost money and efforts, “so this would help everyone understand things better, and implement the right solutions, manage the finances well and avoid negative project outcomes,” he suggested.

At present there are restrictions on transportation of waste from one emirate to another and non-compliance with regulatory requirements could lead to fines, etc. Everyone agreed that there could be federal level involvement in terms of legislation that would help support the growth of the sector.

Eng Saifaie stressed the need to provide suitable solutions for various problems. For instance, Dubai introduced a fee for plastic bags that comes into effect from July. There was agreement on the fact that such strategies help reduce waste to a great extent. Again, “all the emirates could collaborate to achieve positive results,” he pointed out. For instance, the plastic scrap or tyre scrap from one emirate could be sent to a facility that already exists in another, so they get the requisite feedstock while the former is able to dispose of the waste in a sustainable manner.

There are significant efforts, and all the emirates are doing commendable work in waste management, but there should be information sharing and collaboration to arrive at a decision that would benefit everyone and help achieve the national goals, they emphasised. With necessary regulation in place, this would be a welcome move, the experts said. There is also a need to promote the recycled materials and products, said Dr. Banerjee. Considering the competition and other issues that recycled products face in the market, “green procurement” should also be focused on, and should be introduced as part of the regulations, he underscored. Collectively, we can really solve these issues, he said. All the experts agreed that they need to work together for a federal waste management structure.

Mentioning the plans and strategies of MOCCAE with regard to waste management, Arwa Al Ali, Environmental Researcher, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, listed the regulations in place.

She said, Federal Law No. 12 of 2018 on the integrated waste management allows the transport of waste from one Emirate to another, provided that the ministry is notified in advance, and one takes necessary approvals. Regarding C&D waste, as per the Ministerial Decree No. 21 on the use of recycled aggregates from construction and demolition waste for road construction and other infrastructure projects, contractors can meet up to 40 per cent of their material requirements from recycled aggregates, she pointed out. Moreover, Ministerial Decree No. 98 supports using Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) produced from waste treatment procedures in cement factories. Regarding the landfill fee, she said the ministry was working on it and would be issuing a cabinet decree to unify the minimum landfill disposal fee.

On the export of recyclables, she said MOCCAE was working with the ministry of economy to ban the export of the materials. Further, the national integrated waste management strategy will soon be launched, she added.

About Istanbul Group of Companies

Istanbul Group of Companies supported this Roundtable discussion. The company was established in the mid-90s for collection and trading of recyclables like plastic, ferrous and non-ferrous metals from various sources. It has now diversified into a fully functional advanced recycling and processing business for post-consumer utilisation of waste and recovered materials.

Istanbul Group of Companies & Al Kashif Group’s Chairman and Group CEO Kashif Javed Anjum’s mission is to maximise the waste resource value by establishing collection, processing and recycling facilities in partnership with municipalities, and NGOs, businesses, trade associations and individuals, and also create jobs and help the local economy.

Afrasayab Javed Anjum, Group CEO of Istanbul Group of Companies & Al Kashif Group, has a vision for end-oflife plastic solutions by developing a large scale fully functional Plastic Recycling Solution to cater to all types of plastics to divert the material from landfill and contribute to a circular economy.

Currently, the company has operations in all the Emirates and has strategic plans to extend the processes to other GCC countries. Istanbul Group of Companies, which has a well-qualified and experienced team of experts, plans its expansion programme by incorporating state-of-the art Waste collection system; MSW processing by adding sorting and recycling facilities; Collection of recyclables from landfills; Green waste and wood waste processing to mulch or SRF; Composting facilities; Processing of C&D waste to produce different grades of sub base; Residual MSW to RDF; Plastic processing to granules and biofuel; Inert waste recycling facilities; And Ferrous and nonferrous metals recycling systems.