Efforts towards garbage recycling start at home

Dubai: The old adage goes that children are the future, and with Kafia Al Ka'abi, the motto does not go unchecked.

"Whatever I do, I have to try it myself with my family and children," says Kafia, general secretary of the Environment Friends Society. "If I succeed at home, I go ahead and spread the word to people."

For Kafia, any project undertaken by the Environment Friends Society (EFS) has to start on a personal level, which is how the society's latest project began.

"We started with waste paper recycling," she says. "The project was launched in 2004 under the sponsorship of the Zayed Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, whereby 20 public schools and 17 companies participated to see who would collect most waste paper."

"It was a very successful project," adds Kafia.

"It began at my home; before that, I used to throw garbage twice a day. When segregating my garbage, I noticed the waste was less by half, can you imagine that? In two months, I collected something like two tonnes of paper, by getting my neighbours and 20 stores to participate. My children and I were very happy to have people join us."

EFS was founded in 1991 in Dubai but the headquarters later shifted to Abu Dhabi. "It was founded by Shaikh Abdul Aziz Al Nuaimi and Humaid Mohammad Obaid Al Qutami, Minister of Health, among other people," says Kafia. "The society was created to spread environmental awareness and to educate people on all kinds of issues."

Reaching out to public

EFS strives to reach all sectors of society, working with schools, universities, public and private authorities and families.

There are currently no recycling mills in the UAE, although plans to develop a paper recycling mill in Musaffah are underway.

Kafia's paper waste recycling project encourages people to segregate their waste, and bring what is recyclable to EFS, so it can in turn be sent to India or Pakistan for recycling.

"People want to take steps to care for the environment, but they want us to go to them," she says. "But we are such a small number of people, serving many communities."

"People can of course bring their waste here; we supply boxes for them to put paper in. If they bring over one tonne of waste a month, we will give them 100 degradable bags, which are manufactured here in Abu Dhabi. People can also bring plastic waste ... People are welcome to do anything and to share their ideas, as it will encourage others. And there are so many things you can do with waste!"

EFS works hand in hand with major environmental organisations, including the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD), and the Ministry of Environment and Water, and participate in various events including seminars and awareness campaigns.

"There are lots of lectures, exhibitions and seminars about the environment in the UAE, and it's good to have such international gatherings," says Kafia.

"But the problem is, when those end, what comes after that? It stops there. Unfortunately nothing is completed, there is no loop. We have to work side by side and set goals together, to avoid the unnecessary duplication of the same efforts."

Turki Al Za'abi, EFS executive manager, believes that steps taken to protect the environment should come from personal will, and that the price of environmental resources could have a great impact on consumption.

Consumption

"Everything is related to its price, of course," he says. "We should introduce an idea, of raising the prices of water, gas and paper also. It would be very brave move to introduce such an idea here, but once it's there and people absorb it, people will watch their consumption and will understand the importance of minimising their usage. I think the UAE will eventually take that step."

Kafia, a devoted environmental activist, reiterates that everything starts with one person's influence on the people around them.

"We have to teach children about how important everything in their life is; water, air, clothes, money, and others. We have to tell them the truth, not only set dreams for them. You will teach your children how to count on themselves, go and talk about their ideas and how to feel proud of themselves."