Ministry of Environment and Water defines roadmap for integrated waste management in collaboration with all emirates

United Arab Emirates, August 31, 2015 – The Ministry of Environment and Water held recently a meeting with representatives from all seven emirates to discuss current and future waste treatment projects and initiatives in line with the UAE’s target of treating 75 per cent of its total waste by 2021. Eng. Youssif Al-Ahmad Al Rayssi, Director of the Ministry’s Waste Management Department, led the gathering attended by various government delegates and stakeholders.

According to Eng. Al Rayssi, the meeting aimed at discussing the existing projects and initiatives in the UAE, which are expected to help in establishing the national indicators via identifying a viable national action roadmap for solid waste and hazardous and non-hazardous waste treatment. He pointed out that strategic cooperation among concerned local government bodies and parties is fundamental to attaining environmental sustainability in the country.  Such collaboration will also drive government initiatives aimed at promoting a sustainable environment and an integrated infrastructure in line with the national agenda.

Eng. Al Rayssi explained that the existing programs and initiatives across each emirate will help in establishing the national indicators by setting the target ration of treated waste per project-- which will be included in the UAE’s national integrated waste management plan. He emphasized the Ministry’s commitment to strengthen the country’s waste management programs, establish sustainable practices especially in terms of proper disposal, and build effective cooperation with local partners to develop integrated waste management systems for achieving environmental sustainability. 

During the meeting, the set projects, initiatives and plans for each emirate were presented as well as the percentage of treated waste in each project. They also discussed the projects in the integrated waste management plan and the need to research on how to promote and increase the waste treated percentage in each project. Among the recommendations were to provide the Ministry periodically with the treated waste percentage for each project, dependent on its targets, and make the breakdown of waste treatment ratios between solid waste and hazardous and non-hazardous waste available for review. 

The Ministry of Environment and Water has made great strides in the first phase of the Northern Emirates’ waste-to-energy project which will begin implementation after the bidding process. The early stages of construction and implementation are expected to start in the second half of 2016. The project will be aligned with waste treatment objectives and initiatives to promote alternative sources of energy to benefit several key segments of society.