Dubai: The Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) and volunteers collected 21.75 tonnes of waste on Saturday under its Clean Up UAE drive.
The event was held under the patronage of Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy.
The EEG team was joined by 10,000 volunteers at Nad Al Sheba and the area near Dubai Outlet Mall.
The campaign was sponsored by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority and McDonald’s UAE. The supporting entities included Almarai and Mai Dubai, among others, and EEG’s media partner Gulf News.
The EEG received further support from Dubai Police, which ensured the smooth running of the transportation on the day and from Bee’ah, who provided the EEG with big waste skips for the collected waste and sent it for recycling.
Al Mansouri said: “In adherence to the UAE Vision 2021’s objectives and targets, the Ministry of Economy is committed to supporting programmes that promote sustainable development and helps the country to balance economic growth and social development. So it was a great pleasure for me to be present at the Clean Up UAE campaign organised by [EEG].”
He added: “It was a perfect display of a combination of efforts of the government, private sector, civil society and community. I was delighted to see the commitment and dedication of families, corporates and others towards keeping our environment clean, healthy and sustainable.
“It was especially humbling to see the student volunteers bring about real change by hands-on collaborative action at the grass roots level. I congratulate EEG for the continuing success of this national campaign and for their efforts to advance a culture of environmental responsibility in the UAE.”
Habiba Al Marashi, chairperson of EEG, said the role of the organisation to protect and preserve the environment has been effective for 26 years. Saturday’s event officially marked the conclusion of EEG’s efforts in the ‘2017 Year of Giving’.
Al Marashi said: “Today [Saturday] truly reflects the unity that distinguishes this young and dynamic nation; and also gives testimony to the fact that environmental stewardship or commitment to the environment is a common concept that cuts across all barriers like class, sector, ethnicity, nationality, gender and age.”
The EEG has also provided entities with necessary support and materials to carry out the Clean Up UAE campaign independently in their chosen locations. Dubai Duty Free, for instance, held the first of these campaigns on December 7 with the collection of 63kg of waste.
