Mobile recyling service launched

Dubai: Recycle to Regain - a recycling truck that will pass through neighbourhoods to collect separated piles of waste.

Dulsco, a waste management service company, launched this first-of-its-kind service recently. It is currently on show at the Middle East Waste Summit.

Prakash Parab, director of Dulsco, said this is a new concept which aims to make it easier for people to recycle, while educating those who come across it.

The brightly coloured custom-made vehicle has compartments for plastic, cardboard, paper and metal or cans, with a capacity to hold 3,000 tonnes.

"Recycling is being done in bits and pieces all over Dubai. There are a lot of people here, with a high turnover so education needs to be continuous," Parab told Gulf News.

The vehicle will visit residential areas, shopping malls and commercial areas on a regular schedule. More trucks could be added to form a small fleet if the service proves successful.

"The idea is that the truck will go around areas where [there are] lots of people. And during the weekends, so families will know - for instance - that Friday at 5pm, 'We are going to recycle.'

"Economic development, rising population and a lack of public awareness have largely contributed to the increasing levels of waste being produced in Dubai and the rest of the UAE.

"The Recycle to Regain campaign aims to be part of the solution to address this growing waste issue, which certainly has a very strong impact on public health, the environment and the long-term sustainability of our society," he said.

"Recycling is the most effective and straightforward waste management tools that we have at our disposal. This method allows us to significantly reduce the need for land fills and incineration. It also offers major economic potential, as various valuable products can be produced out of materials that would otherwise have gone to waste."

Parab said the materials that can be recycled will be processed into raw materials that are then used in the manufacturing of new products.