"National agenda for integrated waste management" Supports the circular economy in the UAE

Dubai, December 30 / WAM / The National Agenda for Integrated Waste Management, launched by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment in coordination with all partners from local authorities at the state level, works to support the circular economy and promote sustainable development in the Emirates, by building an integrated system of trends and capabilities. And projects.

Her Excellency Engineer Alia Abdul Rahim Al Harmoudi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Sustainable Communities Sector at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, said that the national agenda for integrated waste management works as one of the engines for achieving sustainable economic development in the Emirates through the governance of the waste sector, which is one of the country’s most important pillars for maximizing the use of natural resources. Through recycling and sustainable waste management, contributing to the removal of carbon from one of the most important sectors that contribute to achieving climate neutrality for the country by 2050.

She explained that the agenda contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through its projects, initiatives and indicators, specifically (Goal 11: Sustainable cities and local communities, Goal 12: Sustainable consumption and production, and Goal 13: Climate action).

Among the most important goals of the agenda, by 2031, is for the percentage of treated municipal solid waste to reach 80%, the percentage of treated hazardous waste to 99%, the percentage of treated non-hazardous waste to 80%, and the percentage of sanitary landfills out of the total landfills in the country to 90%.”

The national agenda for integrated waste management focuses on three strategic directions with a variety of activities and programmes. The first direction is to work to limit and reduce waste production based on consolidating the positive behavior approach among individuals and institutions, then promoting responsible production and consumption practices, in addition to establishing a base of legislation. And policies to support sustainable production and consumption programmes, especially with regard to food loss and waste, single-use products and agricultural waste.

Developing technologies for sorting, recycling, and then reusing waste comes within a package of activities for the second strategic direction based on adopting a circular economy approach that works to support the local market with alternative products from recycled secondary materials, while preparing and equipping the necessary infrastructure to facilitate sorting at the source.

The concerned authorities in a number of the country’s emirates have adopted this approach and implemented the source separation system, by placing multiple, specific containers to collect and sort the different types of waste generated in residential, commercial and industrial areas.

In addition, this trend supports the development of waste treatment projects in the country based on the best international practices applied in this regard, which has encouraged a number of local authorities and authorities to adopt and implement such projects, as a station for treating municipal solid waste and producing electrical energy was completed in The Emirate of Dubai, which recently entered the trial operation phase, in addition to the waste treatment facilities of Bee’ah Company in the Emirate of Sharjah, which is considered an integrated model for waste treatment projects.

The third strategic direction of the agenda works to introduce a new methodology for the proper and safe disposal of waste in landfills by employing artificial intelligence systems technology to monitor waste landfills and measure the emissions generated from them.

To solve the problems of random waste disposal due to the disparity in waste disposal fees between the emirates of the country, this approach will enable the competent authorities to control the movement of waste between them through the national project to determine and set a minimum fee for waste disposal in the country’s landfills.

The National Agenda also works to develop an integrated governance system with the aim of enhancing cooperation with partners in order to harmonize roles between federal and local authorities and other concerned parties, in order to ensure the implementation of the initiatives and projects included in it according to their specified time frame.

In the context of activating the role of the integrated national agenda for waste management, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment is working on studying a project for biological treatment of organic waste using insects and worms, through which the current situation in all the emirates of the country was studied and the feasibility of implementing the project was studied in accordance with the current practices followed regarding organic waste. A list of waste treatment plants in the country has been selected to be central stations for treating waste for which treatment plants are not available in other emirates, which will ensure an increase in the rate of waste treatment and diversion from landfills.

In order to reduce emissions from the waste sector, the “Zero Waste” initiative was launched during the COP28 Conference of the Parties, which is a global initiative carried out in partnership between the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and the “Tadweer Group”.

Led by Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, President and CEO of the UAE Independent Accelerators Foundation for Climate Change, the initiative aims to reduce emissions in the waste sector, and has attracted many entities from the government and private sectors from around the world.

Within the framework of the national agenda for integrated waste management, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment recently launched the “Extended Producer Responsibility” framework, a concept that engages producers in responsibility for the entire life cycle of their products, including post-consumer waste management with processes that include recovery programs, waste treatment and final disposal.

The framework targets three types of products, including packaging products, electrical and electronic devices, and batteries.

The Ministry has strengthened its cooperation with a number of partners from the government and private sectors, including the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, environmental authorities, producers, retailers, and those responsible for waste management services.

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