Emirates Environmental Group mobilises drive to promote aluminium recycling

Dubai: Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) successfully concluded the 25th Cycle of the ‘Can Collection Drive (CCD)’ today.

Hundreds of people of all age groups, including academic and government institutions, hospitality, industry establishments, private organisations and families came together to deposit aluminium cans for recycling. With their dedication and combined efforts, EEG managed to collect 5,629kg of aluminium cans and sent them to local factories for recycling, thereby diverting this easily recyclable commodity away from the landfills.

Habiba Al Mar’ashi, chairperson of EEG, expressed her gratitude to the participants who took time off from their weekend to participate in the 25th Jubilee celebration of the campaign.

‘Importance of environmental sustainability’

“I am always overjoyed to see the residents of UAE coming together to contribute to the grass-roots movements of environmental sustainability. When we started the campaign 25 years ago, not many people in the country were aware of terms such as ‘recycling’ or ‘sustainability’. Less than 100 individuals participated in the campaign, but now quarter of a century later, the Can Collection Campaign witnessed participation of more than 200 companies, more than 50 Schools and over 100 families. When we calculate the number of employees, students and family members, one can easily deduce that thousands of individuals from all backgrounds of the society are educated on the importance of environmental sustainability through such campaigns.”

Ever since the initiation of the Can Collection Campaign in 1997, which was EEG’s first community-based annual recycling programme, EEG has collected a total of 351,150kg of aluminium cans for recycling, which directly helped to mitigate 5,271 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, save 8,524 cubic metres of landfill space and conserve 79,917 million BTU of energy.

The Can Collection Campaign is one of the best examples of how local communities can participate and contribute effectively towards achieving the national and international sustainability targets.

Support from sponsors

The sucessful execution of the 25th CCD was only possible with the help of committed volunteers and supporters. Al Mar’ashi thanked Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) for once again coming on board as co-sponsors for the year 2021. Other support entities that were involved, including logistical supporters, were — Abela and Co, Al Futtaim Constructions L.L.C, McDonald’s UAE and Tristar.

EEG said it was grateful for Lucky Recycling continuing its support for the programme by coming on board as the official recycling partner. EEG thanked Gulf News, Al Murad Group, Al Rabia 107.8 FM, Channel 4, Gold 4 and Radio 4 for coming on board as media partners and helping spread the word across the country.

EEG also appreciated the incredible support extended by Dubai Municipality, Dubai Tourism and RAK Ceramics by providing the right venues for all the participants to assemble and rally for the goal of sustainable development.