How to recycle plastic, glass, paper and household waste in the UAE
Here’s the guide to ensure eco-friendly and convenient household waste disposal
Dubai: Did you know that on average, each UAE resident generates waste at one of the highest rates in the world? This is around 1.8kg per day, according to the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE).
As the prospect of overflowing landfills and plastic-filled oceans looms, you must be wondering how you can help. Ensuring all your household waste is properly recycled is a sure step in the right direction, and here’s a guide to making sure you can do exactly that, in a convenient way.
In the UAE, each emirate has recycling centres under their municipalities who are authorised to collect waste for recycling, as well as other small centres and bins. It can be hard to regularly drop off waste at recycling centres located very far from home, so here’s the full picture on all centres in the UAE, their addresses and other details to find out how you can recycle conveniently.
Dubai
In Dubai, you can deliver your recyclable waste to one of the Municipality’s Smart Sustainability Oases branches or other centres listed below, or, you can arrange for pickup services from Planet Green Recycling or Washmen, a laundry service offering recycling collection services.
Smart Sustainability Oasis branches
Built with recycled or used materials, Dubai’s municipality-authorised smart recycling centres are called Smart Sustainability Oases. They are open 24/7, have sensors to monitor the capacity level of their bins and are also equipped with smart screens for eco-friendly messages.
These recycling centres receive 18 types of recyclable materials:
· Paper
· Cardboard
· Plastic
· Metal Packages
· Glass
· Used clothes
· Fabric waste
· Rubber
· Leather
· Wood
· Electronic waste
· Batteries/Others
There are 13 branches in Dubai operating at the following locations, where you can go to drop off your household waste:
Quranic Park, Al Khawaneej First
Mirdif Park
Al Rashidiya Parks
Nadd Al Hamar Park
Hatta Centre
Al Karama Park
Al Satwa Park
Al Manara Centre – Al Safa Second
Umm Suqaim Park – Umm Suqeim second
Al Barsha Second Pond Park, Al Barsha Second
Al Tawar centre, Al Tawar second
Muhaisnah 1 Park, Muhaisnah 1
Al Nahda 2 Pond Park, Al Nahda second
Dubai Recycles
The Dubai Municipality also has an online initiative - https://dubairecycles.dm.gov.ae/en/aboutus/Pages/default.aspx - which allows residents to put up items that they wish to dispose of in an eco-friendly manner. So, individuals, corporations and government entities can all list items that they wish to give for recycling, and interested parties can contact them to collect the items.
This is to help users exchange their unneeded products, second hand used devices and surplus devices. As per the website, the following products can be posted:
· 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 (tires, inner tubes, car parts)
· Textile (clothes, bags, loose fabrics)
· Leather (shoes, furniture, bags)
2. Click on login. If you have a UAE PASS account, login in with UAE PASS. If not, click on registration services and register as an individual or representative from the business sector or government sector.
3. Click ‘Add a Post’ on ‘My profile’.
4. Once the post is approved and made public, interested parties can contact you if interested in collection or delivery and vice versa.
Ways to recycle from home in Dubai
If transportation to recycling centres is not feasible, you can request collection services from Planet Green Recycling LLC or Green Truck, or use the Zeloop app for finding the nearest collection point for plastic bottles and metal cans.
Planet Green Recycling LLC
Address: 26th St, Al Qusais Industrial Area 3
Materials recycled: Glass, paper and cardboard, plastic waste, fabric and textile, pressurised cans, personal care products and cosmetics, lights, bulbs and e-waste.
To recycle at Planet Green, you can deliver paper, cardboard and e-waste to their location for free recycling. For certain items, however, you would need to pay a fee. For example, for plastic waste, they charge Dh5 per kg for a total quantity below 100kg and Dh2.5 per kg if the quantity is more than 100kg.
You can also arrange collection services for a cost of Dh125 per trip.
Green Truck (Enviroserve)
Materials recycled: Plastics, paper, glass, aluminium waste.
Green Truck is a private recycling transportation service and provides weekly collection services at a subscription fee of Dh120 a month.
They will place a bin at your premises and collect it on a weekly basis. As per their website, the waste is segregated and distributed to local recyclers.
App for recycling plastic bottles
An app that focuses on only recycling plastic bottles is the Zeloop App for Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, which is available for Apple and Android devices. It will direct you to the nearest deposit point for the bottles. Not only is the recycling service for free, you can also earn points and rewards that can be redeemed.
Other locations in Dubai where you can recycle are listed below and indicated on the map above.
Emirates Environmental Group
Address: Jumeirah 1, Villa No. 117A, JMR 68
Materials recycled: Glass, paper, mobile phones, plastic, toner and aluminium cans.
Greenland Recycling LLC
Address: DIRC Complex, Dubai Investment Park 2, Dubai
Materials recycled: Personal care products like perfumes and body creams and shampoo bottles, cosmetics, consumer electronics, optical media, branded materials.
Shampoo bottles, conditioner and body lotion containers, perfumes and diffusers, roll-on containers, hand and body cream/ lotion containers, tooth brushes, toothpaste tubes, travel toiletry kits, shaving razors and foam tubes, aerosol cans.
Individual customers can drop off non-contaminated and segregated household recyclables at their warehouse, and they will be recycled for free.
E-cyclex
Address: Al Qusais Industrial Area 4
Materials recycled: Electronics, plastics, metals, glass, clothes, paper and cardboard.
You can recycle these for free by dropping them off at the Ecyclex location.
Waitrose Recycling Station
Address: Umm Al Sheif
Materials to recycle: Plastics and tetra packs, waste paper and cardboard, glass bottles and aluminium cans.
Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC) District 12 Recycle Centre
Materials recycled: plastic, cardboard, paper, cans.
Dubai Sports City Recycle Centre
Materials recycled: Paper, cardboard, plastic, cans.
Spinneys recycling centre
Address: 6 4 A St, Al Safa 2, Dubai
Materials recycled: Cans, plastic, glass, paper.
Recycling centre, Sustainability City
Address: The Sustainability City, Dubai
Materials recycled: Cardboard, paper, glass, metallic, plastic, general waste.
The Greens recycling centre
Address: The Greens, Dubai
Materials recycled: Paper, glass, plastic.
Cardboard and clothes recycling centre
Address: Emarat Petrol Station, Al Bustan
Materials recycled: Cardboard and clothes.
Cardboard Recycling Station
Address: Umm Suqeim, Jumeirah 3 – Dubai
Materials recycled: Cardboard
Imdaad
Imdaad offers nine collection vehicles, 291 recycling points and 53 recycling centres in Dubai for residents.
Oasis Centre Mall in Al Quoz
Materials recycled: Paper and plastic waste.
Citymax Hotel in Al Barsha
Materials recycled: Paper and plastic waste.
The Beach in Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR)
Materials recycled: Paper and plastic waste.
The Promenade in Dubai Marina
Materials recycled: Glass, paper and plastic waste.
Recycling Bin in Jebel Ali
Materials recycled: Metal, plastic and paper waste.
Retail Centre in Arabian Ranches
Materials recycled: Clothes, cans, glass, paper, plastic waste, bulky items.
Tower Building in Dubai Studio City
Materials recycled: Glass, paper and plastic waste.
The Village Shops in The Greens
Materials recycled: Cans, glass, paper and plastic waste.
The Meadows Souk or The Lakes Club
Materials recycled: Glass, metal, plastic and paper waste.
Jumeirah Lake Clusters (JLT)
Materials recycled: Cans, glass, paper and plastic.
Spinneys in Dubai Silicon Oasis
Materials recycled: Clothes, cans, glass, paper and plastic waste.
Burjuman Metro Station, behind Citibank
Materials recycled: Cans, paper and plastic waste
Emirates Driving Institute in Al Qusais
Materials recycled: Plastic waste.
Near Toys R Us in Dubai Festival City
Materials recycled: Cans, paper and plastic waste.
Emirates Aviation College in Al Garhoud
Materials recycled: Plastic and paper recycling.
Rashidiya Shopping Centre in Al Rashidiya
Materials recycled: Cardboard, cans, paper and plastic waste.
Safa Park
Materials recycled: Cans, cardboard, paper, plastic.
Sharjah
Bee’ah is a leading UAE waste management company, and manages recycling in the emirate of Sharjah.
You can drop off household waste at Sharjah’s large recycling centres or depots that are located in:
· Al Nahda, near Lulu, Sharjah
· King Faisal Mosque, Sharjah
· National Park, near Sharjah Airport
· American University of Sharjah, Sharjah
There are also 626 other residential recycling bins located at various street corners. To find out what is nearest to you, check the locations here on the Bee’ah website’s map:
https://beeah.ae/en/recycling-points/residential-recycling-bins
App for recycling plastic bottles
An app that focuses on only recycling plastic bottles is the Zeloop App for Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, which is available for Apple and Android devices. It will direct you to the nearest deposit point for the bottles. Not only is the recycling service for free, you can also earn points and rewards that can be redeemed.
Bee’ah Call-in service
To dispose of large and bulky items that you can’t transport yourself, you can use B’eeah’s ‘You Call, we Haul’ services:
1. Contact the Beeah Recycling Center at 8008263333
2. Fill out a form at https://beeah.ae/en/you-call-we-haul , pick a time slot for the locations
Abu Dhabi
The Abu Dhabi Waste Management Centre, Tadweer is in charge of waste collection and recycling in the Emirate.
You can recycle other materials like plastic, paper, glass, bottles, mobiles electronics, cardboards, discarded food items and cans in their recycling center beside Khalidiya Park, and other locations in the city.
You can follow these steps to recycle your household waste:
· Call 800 555 – the Abu Dhabi Government services number.
· Select the option for Tadweer.
· Provide the call centre agent with your name, contact number, location, house number and details of the items to be picked up.
· The call centre will then coordinate with the relevant organisations to schedule a pick up or inform you of convenient options.
You can also visit any of the following recycling centres to recyclable materials such as batteries, plastics, metal packages, and others.
Locations:
1. Al Musawah St - Zone 1 - Abu Dhabi
2. Zone 1E5 - Abu Dhabi
3. Park Residences - Zone 1 - Abu Dhabi
4. Arabian Gulf x 2 (two waste mines)
5. Al-Aryam Island - Abu Dhabi (Six waste mines)
Averda
Averda is a sustainable waste management services provider, which has three recycling centres in Abu Dhabi at the following locations:
Jimi Al Ain – 24.258131,55.739505
Sec 54, Al Khalidiyah, Abu Dhabi - 24.4700154,54.3436785
Sec 14, Al Khalidiyah, Abu Dhabi - 24.479998, 54.358710
Washmen recycling
In partnership with Bee’ah, the laundry service Washmen arranges for pickup of recyclable waste in Dubai and Abu Dhabi of these materials:
· Plastic
· Paper
· Washmen waste (hangers, plastic covers etc.)
It is free when a laundry order has been placed, but minimum of Dh45 is the payment if only for recycling. To access the service, download the Washmen app and place an order, filling out all recyclables in a washbag. A washmen driver will pick-up the designated bags.
2. Create an account with your location and schedule a pick-up time.
3. They will collect plastic bottles and metal cans from your home in Abu Dhabi and recycle them for free.
4. App users earn points on recycling that can be redeemed into gifts offered by partners.
Ras Al Khaimah
The Ras Al Khaimah Waste Management Agency has designated community centres such as recycling centres and food waste treatment facilities to encourage residents’ engagement in recycling initiatives. They can be found at the following locations:
Drop-off recycling centers
Al Rams
RAK Mall
Al Dhaith (My City Center)
Al Khuzzam
Al Hamra Mall
Food composting Hubs
Al Nakheel
Al Married
RAK (Fruits and Vegetables) Market
Al Khuzzam
Al Hamra Mall
According to the RAK Waste Management Agency, here’s what you would need to do to recycle your household waste conveniently and free of cost in the emirate:
Reserve two special bins inside house: One bin for food waste, that should not include tissues and eating utensils.
The other bin for recyclable materials such as plastic, glass (which should be wrapped with paper before disposal), paper, metals and cartons.
The recyclable material should be clean and dry.
Tie the bags very well for disposal.
While the general waste bags can be disposed of in the trash bin, the bags with recyclable materials can be dropped off at the nearest recycling centre at any of the locations above.
Ajman
If you are resident in the Musherief area in Ajman, you can separate your waste for recycling in the two skip bins provided – one for recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass and cardboard, for example and the other for general waste. The AIMS group company, the largest integrated environmental solutions provider in Ajman, collects the segregated waste for recycling.
In other areas in Ajman, your collected waste is segregated and recycled at the plants themselves.
If you are looking to recycle electronic waste specifically, you can read our detailed guide here.