UAE's Dawoodi Bohra volunteers help recycle one ton of e-waste

Dubai: Around 500 Dawoodi Bohra volunteers in Dubai joined hands to undertake an e-waste recycling and clean up drive at five locations in and around community centres in Al-Qusais and Warqa neighbourhoods.

The community conducted a clean-up drive on September 17 and 18 in a bid to recyle waste in the city. It was the community’s 15th year of organising a clean-up awareness drive. The event was held on the occasion of World Clean-up Day – celebrated worldwide on September 17.

Murtaza Rasheed, a spokesperson for the community, said, “The two-day drive saw the participation of young and old, men and women. It was heartening to see our volunteers from the community bring their electronic and dry waste. We collected around one ton of e-waste and other dry waste items. This initiative was part of our community’s global ‘Turning the Tide Against Plastic Pollution’ movement which aims to rid the planet of trash from beaches, rivers, forests and streets.”

Rasheed said that environmental conservation is one of the key objectives of UAE’s sustainable developmental policies. “We are glad that through our small and continuous efforts our community is contributing to this cause.”

A similar drive was conducted in Abu Dhabi as well.

“Our volunteers in AbuDhabi undertook an e-waste collection and recycling drive in a bid to get rid of discarded electronic waste items from homes, schools and offices. The drive struck a chord with neighbours and corporate organisations who pledged to join more such waste recycling drives in the future,” Rasheed said.

Rasheed said people came with their TVs, old cables and other items. The community tied up with Enviroserve, a Dubai Municipality and Ministry of Environment-certified recycling organisation, equipped with a large state-of-the-art plant with the capacity to recycle an entire range of end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment.