Recycling can be profitable if supported by the local government Recycling has been going on for agesin Dubai but it simply seemslike most of it is going nowhere. The government needs to take an initiative and get things done right to avoid problems with waste in the future.
Recycling has been going on for ages in Dubai but it simply seems like most of it is going nowhere. The government needs to take an initiative and get things done right. Moreover the growing population of Dubai which consists mainly of migrants also needs to know about recycling; which could probably be the cause for the lack of people’s tolerance towards recycling. But the migrant population of Dubai is not the only issue that hampers recycling as a structured process, when compared to other countries that have a strict and regimented metal copper scrap recycling plan. Japan for example is decades ahead when it comes to the same; simply because the government has a stronghold and the local population and the municipalities follow the rules diligently. A government-designated organization collects all the recyclable items from various municipalities and via the bidding process (which happens every year); delivers the sorted loads to the designated company for recycling. They have successfully over the years, since the establishment of the system managed to process and recycle tonnes of paper, plastic, aluminium, steel and PETbottles. As seen from the above, it is the government that needs to take strict actions which is the only way to get the general population’s attention.
If done right, recyclers too can gain from the same by getting more feedstock to provide to manufacturers, who would re-utilize the same materials over and over again; leading to an efficient recycling system that is productive, well-structured and profitable. Moreover it reduces the need for manufacturers to buy feedstock from
outside the emirate, which adds to the ever-increasing pile of problems that already exists here in Dubai. The same sorted and recycled materials can be sorted and then sold back to local manufacturers of products who can re-mould and re-use the packaging for various products. Such a structured system already exists between the metal trading companies in the UAE; this is simply because metal holds a lot more value than paper or plastics which are easier to produce. Non-ferrous and Ferrous metal scrap has been efficiently recycled over the years by metal recycling companies in Dubai; and having a strict system in place would only reduce the burden for such recyclers, who have to hunt for metals which are carelessly dumped with regular garbage by citizens. The Tadweer waste treatment plant has been doing a stupendous job of sorting out waste for recycling in Dubai; but the problem here is that only a quarter of the recyclable waste, lands there; meaning that the rest of it reaches the landfills which the government pays companies to fill up. A smoothly functioning system by the government can reduce the costs of getting rid of garbage from landfills and even recover money from the collected waste.
The government needs to deliver the message clearly via the media and ensure that it gets delivered to every individual and household. Recycling should become the talk of the town in a way in which it can add a feather in Dubai’s hat that already has so many achievements listed to its name. People can also play their part by simply being more active and thinking about the whole of Dubai as a close local community, which helps when it comes to recycling operations. People often follow suit when their neighbours are into recycling as has been proved by researchers when it came to changing people’s behaviour towards recycling. Dubai’s answers to recycling simply exist in resolving its own problems rather than sending the load out elsewhere to be dealt with.