Being lucky enough to live and study in Abu Dhabi, it makes me proud to see how the authorities are constantly building public awareness about the importance of recycling.
I have always wanted to become more involved in helping the environment so when we were asked to complete a personal project at school, I decided to focus on recycling. I researched to see what could be recycled and discovered that used ink jet printer cartridges — of which over 370 million are incinerated or discarded every year into landfill sites — were something that the public needed more awareness about. I contacted a recycling company in the United Kingdom who work very closely with many charities, donating money for every ink jet cartridge that they receive for recycling.
This was wonderful news and so I decided that by recycling, I would try to help raise money for Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. It is a non-profit organisation that provides mobility and access services to meet the needs of blind and partially-sighted people in the United Kingdom.
I wanted to help raise money to train the guide dogs and at the same time bring awareness to the people of the UAE about these amazing animals that bring independence to adults and children who cannot see. Many companies in Abu Dhabi have supported my project with their staff donating used printer cartridges from home and work. If any Gulf News readers would like to help in recycling their old or used cartridges they can contact me on Stefanie.kinnear@windowslive.com knowing that they are helping the environment and the blind people of the world too.
— The reader is a student of Al Raha International School, Abu Dhabi
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