Collective responsibility: Why community is the engine of Abu Dhabi’s clean future

Each year, the UAE generates millions of tonnes of waste, yet only a small fraction is ever recycled. Less than five per cent of plastic waste is mechanically recycled, and around two-thirds of aluminium cans still end up in landfill.

These figures tell a deeper story. Despite significant investment in waste management systems and infrastructure, too much that could be reused or repurposed continues to be discarded. The challenge is no longer one of technology, it is one of behavioural change. How we think, act, and take responsibility will define whether sustainability becomes a lived reality or remains an aspiration.

Real progress will not come from more bins, trucks, or collection routes, but from people who choose to act differently. Behavioural change is vital to shifting mindsets and ensuring waste is disposed of responsibly.

Sustainability

Every item we sort correctly, every bottle we recycle, and every conversation that raises awareness takes us one step closer to a cleaner, more circular future. Sustainability begins when responsibility stops being invisible — and becomes part of our daily lives.

Across the globe, more than 2.1 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste are generated each year, a figure projected to rise to 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050. Waste contributes between 3 and 5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, exceeding the output of the aviation sector. In the UAE, each person produces an average of 1.8 kilograms of waste per day, making the issue both urgent and deeply personal.

The good news is that attitudes are changing. Recent surveys show that half of UAE residents recycle once or twice a week, and 13 per cent do so daily, reflecting a growing sense of public participation. In Abu Dhabi, almost 50 per cent of residents reported recycling at least one material in the past year. These shifts are already visible: since the ban on single-use plastic bags in 2022, the Emirate has achieved a 95 per cent reduction in the number of bags distributed at cash counters.

Daily decisions

These figures tell a clear story. Progress begins in the daily decisions of individuals. Cleaner cities are built by a community that makes the conscious decision to recycle. When people separate recyclables, reduce plastic use or report overflowing bins, they are taking part in a much larger effort. Every household that participates helps lower landfill volumes, improve safety in neighbourhoods and cut emissions from collection fleets.

Safety remains a central part of this transition. Waste collection is one of the most visible public services, yet also one of the most physically demanding.

Every resident who respects collection schedules, avoids littering or disposes of waste responsibly plays a part in protecting those who keep our city clean. When communities value the people behind the service, sustainability becomes environmental and social at the same time, grounded in mutual care and respect.

Shared responsibility

A shared sense of responsibility is driving Abu Dhabi’s journey towards a circular economy and awareness is at the centre of that shift. Through school partnerships, community volunteering drives and public campaigns, Tadweer Group has engaged more than 250,000 residents across the emirate. These initiatives connect environmental goals with daily life, showing families, students, and businesses that sustainable choices begin at home.

Such programmes do more than educate; they inspire action. They help residents see that recycling is not simply about bins or trucks, but about accountability about the role each person plays in shaping a cleaner, more sustainable city. Awareness, when translated into everyday behaviour, becomes one of the most powerful tools for environmental change.

This also supports the UAE’s wider sustainability vision, from the Circular Economy Policy 2021–2031 to the Net Zero 2050 Strategy. It also aligns with this year’s UAE Year of Community 2025, which celebrates the power of collective action in national progress. Together, these frameworks reinforce a single message: environmental success depends on shared ownership.

At the centre of this effort is Tajmee’e, a subsidiary of Tadweer Group that brings together innovation, safety and community engagement. By improving collection routes, supporting awareness and working closely with residents, Tajmee’e contributes to the national goal of diverting 80% of waste from landfill by 2030. Its greatest achievement, however, lies in proving that sustainability works best when people take part in the process rather than observe it.

The journey towards circularity is not simply about building systems that manage waste, but about nurturing societies that prevent it. Abu Dhabi’s experience shows that every clean street, every safe collection and every act of recycling represents something greater, a community choosing to protect its future.

When awareness turns into action and responsibility becomes culture, sustainability stops being a target and becomes a way of life. That is the true measure of progress: not what is removed from our cities, but what we build in their place, cleaner environments, safer workforces and a shared commitment to a better tomorrow.

Abdelwahed Juma is Executive Director, Communications & Awareness, Tadweer Group