While Abu Dhabi can call itself many things, ‘green’ is an adjective the capital simply hasn’t earned the rights to. In fact, having just been named the most wasteful city on Earth (the Centre of Waste Management recently revealed that we produce 13,000 tons of waste a day – that’s nearly 2kg of landfill fodder per man, woman and child), Abu Dhabi would be better described as the opposite of green, whatever that is. Orange, perhaps.
Sure, Masdar City is coming along nicely and, when complete, the walled-off, solar-powered, sci-fi-styled district will probably become the most environmentally friendly patch of land on the planet. But when you’ve got apartment blocks and villa compounds just down the road without rudimentary recycling facilities, it’s a project that feels badly prioritised; like buying a new TV to put in a house that hasn’t got a roof.
Still, by the end of summer, the city’s war on waste will be taking a bold step in the right direction, with door-to-door recycling set to finally become a reality in the city’s most densely populated areas. It’s all thanks to a pair of new contracts – reported to be worth Dhs284 million – between the Centre of Waste Management and two companies that have been drafted in to reduce Abu Dhabi’s carbon footprint (not to mention the government’s Dhs1.5 billion-a-year waste disposal bill). Taking half of the city each – divided by Airport Road – Averda (a Saudi-based firm) and Lavajet (which does business in Italy, Lebanon and the Ivory Coast) are expected to distribute green recycling bins to homes this autumn, to be regularly emptied by a fleet of 70 trucks. These will then make their way along the E22 to Al Ain, where facilities exist to deal with the paper, glass and plastic that would otherwise be dumped in Abu Dhabi’s 200 acre-and-growing landfill.
Of course, you needn’t wait until October to do your bit to boost the city’s green credentials…
Six ways to be greener right now
At home
• Printer ink is notoriously expensive and the cartridges it comes in difficult to dispose of. The city’s backstreets (those in Al Markaziyah, in particular) are littered with little places that will refill your cartridge for a fraction of the cost of buying a new one.
• Start separating and storing your glass, plastic and paper now, ready for when a green bin lands on your doorstep. And if the backlog gets too much, there are communal bins at the American International School on the corner of Airport Road and 29th Street, and in Al Hosn University on Delma Street.
In the office
• Stuffing reams of paper into the bin every day? Zone Waste Paper in Mussaffah (02 551 5153) will collect your unwanted printouts and turn them into tissue paper. They’ll even pay you Dhs400 per ton.
• Providing your company employs more than 200 people, the good people at Masafi will collect your empties – even if they’re not Masafi bottles. Tell your boss to call 800 5455 to get your workplace involved.
Out and about
• If you refuse to let the heat deprive you of a stroll along the Corniche, take the opportunity to stuff some of your junk into the recycling points dotted along the street. You should be able to spot them – their solar panels harvest sunlight throughout the day and illuminate the bins at night.
• The world gets through something like a trillion plastic bags a year, and Abu Dhabi’s supermarkets aren’t helping. Most will sell you a ‘bag for life’ for a few dirhams – grab one and use it when you nip out for groceries.
