Abu Dhabi: Tadweer on Wednesday announced four strategic scenarios as part of its waste management master plan for the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The scenarios aim to slash waste in the UAE by 85 per cent by 2040.
Tadweer originally unveiled the master plan last year during a brainstorming workshop session, and since then the group has worked on formulating a clear policy framework for the implementation of the master plan.
The plan will be centred on four main scenarios to achieve its reduction target: regulation, behavioural and cultural changes, economic incentives, and the development of appropriate infrastructure and technologies.
“We have clearly defined four scenarios and generated analytics on how the waste landscape will change with the implementation of these options. The positive implication of waste management in the emirate of Abu Dhabi will be monumental,” said Eisa Al Qubaisi, general manager of Tadweer.
“There are a number of different scenarios but every country has a different model, mindset, and economic driver that determines what kind of waste plan they should have. We looked at plans from many different countries including Belgium, Holland, Japan, and the Middle East. The plan we decided to go with was driven by what best suited Abu Dhabi’s society, culture and economy,” he said.
Bernie Guinan, one of the senior consultants for Tadweer’s master plan, explained that an in-depth analysis of Abu Dhabi’s waste system was conducted to arrive at the four recommendations.
“When we started this project, the most important element was to engage with all stakeholders in the emirate of Abu Dhabi that were involved in waste management. The purpose of this engagement was to gain an in-depth understanding of the regulatory policy and the waste management practices that are currently in place,” she said.
“Once we got an understanding, our next step was to look at how much waste was being produced across the emirate and look at the trends in waste generation. We reviewed the waste data over a three-year period from 2013 to 2015 to give us a comprehensive understanding,” she added.
Guinan said that the master plan was highly ambitious, but that it could succeed if properly implemented.
“Abu Dhabi has set itself a very ambitious target, it is achievable and for it to be realised key changes are needed — the creation of a regulatory system that will be there for monitoring, cultural and behavioural changes, ensuring economic incentives, and finally the infrastructure that needs to be developed to achieve those targets,” she said.
“In terms of the infrastructure that will be required, it will be quite vast with the types of treatment facilities. The treatment facilities required will not be for treating one specific type of waste stream but several different ones that are generated. So they will be required for residential, commercial, agricultural, and hazardous waste,” she said.
Maarten Dubois, another senior consultant on the project, said that behavioural changes from the public would be crucial if the government was to succeed in reducing waste.
“One way to change the habits is through education and awareness campaigns. People will not necessarily change their behaviour because they see something on television; communication campaigns are still needed.
“Education especially of children is also important because the children can then educate their parents. Children, for example, can tell their parents that they are not doing the right thing [with their waste] and that could make the parents change their behaviour,” he said.
Dubois also recommended other simple type of changes that could be implemented to reduce waste such as reducing the number of plastic bags that are distributed at shops, or to add an extra charge on shoppers who use a plastic bag to deter them.