Few Dubai shopping malls segregate waste at source

Dubai: One-fifth of the shopping centres and malls in Dubai have started segregating recyclable waste.

Segregating waste at source is in line with Dubai’s plans to recycle 100 per cent of its waste.

By 2030, the emirate plans to bring the percentage of rubbish sent to landfills from the existing 80-90 per cent to zero.

And by the end of next year, all the malls and shopping centres across the emirate should be segregating recyclable waste, said Abdul Majid Saifaei, Director of Waste management Department, Dubai Municipality.

The Dubai Municipality had asked shopping centres and malls to segregate waste at source and also get an approval on the bins used to collect waste.

“Around 20 per cent of the malls have started doing it and by 2013 we can see 100 per cent of the malls segregating waste at source,” Saifaei told Gulf News.

The waste management department of the civic body issued a circular to the malls earlier this year regarding this, with a view to attain its goal of recycling most waste.

Malls in the emirate were asked last year to segregate waste but many of them did not comply.

They are required to submit monthly reports on the quantity and quality of segregated refuse to the waste management department.

In 2011, an average of 8,000 tonnes of general municipal waste was generated daily.

Each person in the emirate contributes about 2.8 kilograms of waste every day.

Dubai has reduced its daily waste generation and in the last few years, the quantity of municipal waste averaged 10,000 tonnes a day.

According to the circular, the malls should also get approval on the waste bins used for the waste collection in line with the specifications mentioned in the Technical Instruction No.5 issued by the department.

Malls can deal with the authorised companies by the department, which are listed in its updated publication issued in 2011.

“The Municipality also started an experimental initiative to segregate recyclable and organic waste at source by collecting it directly from houses placing separate waste bins for each item in collaboration with the private sector companies starting from this March,” Saifaei said.