Municipality issues new requirements for trade waste generators

Dubai: The municipality will not issue any trade waste discharge permit for the next three months to control illegal dumping in the emirate of Dubai.

“A log book detailing quantity of waste generated, its sources and disposal details must always be available at the site for verification by Environmental Control Section,” said Dr Abdulsalam Mohamed Saleh, Head of Environmental Control Section at Dubai Municipality.

The new regulation aims to set new ground rules to companies and tankers collecting liquid waste from various sites to minimise the environmental impact, and prevent the accumulation of chemical disposal.

The Environment Department at Dubai Municipality issued a circular with new requirements to be followed by all industrial establishments generating trade wastewater, such as from laundry companies and petrol stations, as well as the approved waste transporters in the emirate of Dubai.

Dr Saleh explained that these new instructions were implemented to ensure the proper and environmentally safe disposal of trade wastewater.

Discharge of trade waste, having quality parameters exceeding the limits specified in the Permit, to the Dubai Municipality Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), is illegal and liable for hefty fines.

It is the responsibility of both generator and the transporters of the waste, to comply with standards specified and to avoid any illegal mix-up of waste.

Dr Saleh explained that as per the new requirements, in order to ensure that the trade waste is discharged directly to the Sewage Treatment Plant from the source, waste generators must engage tanker services only on a “one trip basis.”

According to the new rule, tankers will have to directly take liquid disposal to the site of disposal, before collecting more waste from another factory or company.

This will in turn, prevent the different types of chemicals from interacting with each other and prevent from causing a build-up of chemical materials.

Industrial enterprises must provide a detailed record of the quantities of waste produced, their sources and methods of disposal, and the report must be available on-site for inspectors to verify.

Enterprises must coordinate with their transport service provider to ensure that tankers do not mix waste from multiple companies in one trip to the treatment plant.

This will avoid any confusion as to illegal practices, when the liquid is tested at the treatment plant.

Disposal of liquid waste that contains elements that exceed the limits set by the municipality is considered illegal and can incur severe penalties.