20,000 volunteers to help clean up UAE

Dubai: The Emirates Environment Group Thursday announced the launching of the Clean Up UAE campaign 2010, taking place on December 12.

The ninth edition of the campaign targets more than 20,000 residents, who will work at 85 locations all over the UAE.

"From about 4,500 volunteers working at six sites in four emirates in 2002 to 18,000 people working all over the UAE in 2009, the initiative has grown and developed significantly over the past nine years, and we are aiming at a 10 per cent growth this year," Habiba Al Marashi, Chairperson of the Group, said.

The initiative is not just a cleaning campaign, but aims to educate people and spread awareness about protecting the environment, Habiba said.

Sense of responsibility

"If we have 20,000 volunteers, that means our message would reach at least 40,000 people, and the number keeps growing every year. This is the main target behind the campaign, which is spreading awareness and education."

The objectives of the campaign are linking with the global environmental movement, instilling a sense of responsibility and cutting across barriers of religion, nationality, age, gender and occupation by involving various sectors of the society.

The government and private sector partners of the campaign include municipalities, environment authorities, schools, banks, industrial companies and many others.

Georges Barakat from Bee'ah, the Sharjah Environment Company, said the average daily amount of waste per person in Sharjah is 2.75 kilos, which is much higher than the average per capita waste generated daily by residents in developed countries.