More than 100,000 plastic bottles saved — thanks to ‘Dubai Can’ initiative

Overall, the ‘Dubai Can’ Initiative across the city has so far resulted in 35 water stations being installed with a total of 1,077,474 plastic water bottles saved. Image Credit: Supplied

Dubai: The water refilling stations installed at three Dubai tourist destinations — as part of ‘Dubai Can’ initiative — helped save more than 104,000 plastic bottles, Merex Investment, operator of The Beach, La Mer and City Walk, said today.

‘Dubai Can’ is a sustainability initiative launched by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Executive Council, in March 2022 to drive awareness on plastic alternatives and sustainability.

NAT DUBAI CAN 1-1655460430885 — According to Merex Investment, around 52,000 litres of water had been consumed from the water stations installed across the three locations in Dubai — The Beach, La Mer and City Walk. Image Credit: Supplied

The initiative is aimed at reducing single-use plastic water bottles in the city by encouraging individuals to use refillable water bottles, enabling access to free and safe drinking water through the installation and use of water stations across Dubai. According to Merex Investment, around 52,000 litres of water had been consumed from the water stations installed across the three locations in Dubai — The Beach, La Mer and City Walk.

Shahram Shamsaee, Merex Investment CEO, said: “We are committed to rethink the way urban spaces are designed to create clean sustainable happy spaces and the way people experience the city while taking part in protecting the future of our planet. Therefore, our participation in the ‘Dubai Can’ initiative comes in line with our commitment to spread awareness, instil a sense of responsibility and encourage our visitors to reduce the use of plastic water bottles.”

Sustainability report

The figures released by Merex Investment were based on its impact report. City Walk saved the most quantity of water bottles out of the three destinations with 41,254; while 20,627 litres of water were consumed from the installed stations. The Beach managed to save 36,160 plastic water bottles and 18,080 filtered water consumed, while La Mer saved 26,806 water bottles and visitors consumed 13,403 litres of water from drinking fountains.

Overall, the ‘Dubai Can’ Initiative across the city has so far resulted in 35 water stations being installed with a total of 1,077,474 plastic water bottles saved and 538,737 litres of water being consumed across the emirate.