Don't trash it, repurpose it! How to use Dubai’s online platform for reusing and recycling

Dubai: Do you have unwanted items collecting dust in your home? Dubai Recycles, an initiative by Dubai Municipality launched in 2021, offers a simple solution. This online platform - dubairecycles.ae, connects individuals, businesses, and government entities to exchange reusable and recyclable materials.

Find or give away almost anything

Whether you are an individual with old electronics or a business seeking used car parts, Dubai Recycles can connect you with what you need. The platform allows users to post ‘available’ or ‘wanted’ listings for a wide range of reusable and recyclable materials, and mention the cost in case you would like to sell it, instead of just giving it away.

Products of the following categories can be posted

According to the website, only the following items can be posted on the platform:

• Plastic (pet bottles, toys, tupperware containers, etc.)
• Paper (books, notebooks, newspapers, magazines, etc.)
• Metals (food tins, nails and screwdrivers, pipes, machinery, engine blocks, water heaters and tanks, etc.)
• Cardboard (cardboard packaging, cardboard tubes)
• Wood (furniture, raw wood, logs, wooden crates)
• Cans (aluminum cans, steel or tin cans)
• Glass (windows, doors, glass bottles, any color or clear glass)
• Electronic waste (personal computers, monitors, keyboards, televisions, laptops, fax machines, mobile phones, light bulbs etc.)
• Rubber (tyres, inner tubes, car parts)
• Textile (clothes, bags, loose fabrics)
• Leather (shoes, furniture, bags)

Products of the following categories cannot be posted:

• Any flammable liquid (paint, petroleum products, alcohol, perfume, cosmetics, aerosols, cleaning agents, motor oils)
• Any flammable gas cylinders
• Biological waste (needles, syringes, medications and pills)

How it works

To list available or wanted material in Dubai Recycles website, here are the steps you must follow.

Step 1: Register

Visit the website - dubairecycles.ae, and click on the ‘Login’ icon and sign-in with your UAE Pass.

Step 2: Add a post

• Next, you will be able to view your profile dashboard on the website. Click on the ‘Add a post’ button. You will then be required to fill in a few details:
o Select the classification – ‘wanted’ or ‘available’.
o Select the material category (for example – plastic, cardboard or batteries).
o Enter the quantity and unit in pieces or in kilogrammes.
o Enter the title of the material you want to sell or buy.
o Enter the total price and add a description of the item.
o Next, add images of the material.

Step 3: Wait for approval

Added posts get directly sent to the website administrator for approval. If the post is approved, you will receive an email with a status update and the material will be listed on the website. In case the post gets rejected, you will be notified via email as well.

Step 4: Start selling

Individuals interested in the materials posted, are able to contact the users directly. Contact details of users will be available to everyone, including website visitors and registered users.

Details regarding the collection and delivery of the materials have to be agreed upon between the material owner and the interested party.

Once the material is no longer available, you must delete your post, which can be done through your profile dashboard.