A litter-free initiative in UAE

Dubai is home to over a hundred nationalities, which makes it a unique city. But along with such a large urban population, comes the problem of waste and pollution. This aggravates the stress on the topsoil, which is always under threat here from the natural elements. Residents produce copious amounts of waste much of which, unfortunately, litters the natural environment that is not only an eyesore but causes pollution and degradation of the topsoil.

The most common items that are littered are cigarette butts, cans, glass bottles and plastic. All these are difficult to degrade and not only do they pollute the land but also pose a threat to the ecosystem.

On November 29, a large group of youth environmentalists from Green Hope UAE gathered at an open area off the Dubai-Al Ain road, designated by Dubai Municipality and spent several hours collecting the litter strewn around the open spaces. This effort was a part of Dubai Municipality’s annual “Clean Up The World” campaign, which encourages citizens and corporates alike to join hands and partake in this event. The participants were shocked at the amount and variety of trash found on the open ground. Shards of glass, cans of all hues and shapes, plastics, books, slippers, cigarette butts, lighters, barbecue remnants and broken toys were littered or buried in the sands, posing a threat to all those who live in that area. The irony was that trash cans are available in plenty yet the residents were callous enough not to use them.

One of the founding members of Green Hope UAE said: “As the largest stakeholders of civil society, we, the children and youth, need to support Dubai Municipality’s campaign. As responsible residents, we must help to keep our environment litter free and today’s effort was a step in this direction.”

Ever since our group’s inception, we have participated in Dubai Municipality’s campaign. As children and youth, we are the future generation and it is our duty to protect the environment from pollution and degradation. We must encourage sustainable consumption and reduce wastage and litter.

Several local residents watched with interest as the litter was being collected and would hopefully take a cue to put their litter in the trash cans and not use open areas as dumping grounds.

The reader is a founder of Green Hope UAE based in Dubai.

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