SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT FOR ORGANISATIONSGOOD FOR BUSINESS, SOCIETY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) was established in 1996 as a government entity responsible for protecting the environment by reducing pollution and enhancing our biodiversity. It does this through science, research, policy, regulation, environmental education and awareness.

THE CHALLENGE

32,482TONNES OF

SOLID WASTEEVERY DAY GREATER

ABU

DH

ABI

20.2

57.8

AL A

IN

22

W

ESTERN

TOTALWASTE

GENERATED BYREGION (%)

CONTENTSIntroduction 1

The Challenge 1

How the Government is responding 2

Benefits for all 3

Case studies 4

Time for action 5

Making a start 6

Learn more 6

The amount of waste generated in Abu Dhabi has been rapidly increasing in recent years. Official figures for 2013 estimated that 11.9 million tonnes of solid waste were produced, more than 32,482 tonnes every day.

The statistics showed that the greater Abu Dhabi region generated 57.8% of the total waste, compared to 22% in Al Ain region and 20.2% in the Western region.

But these figures do not begin to tell the whole story. They do not include large quantities of waste dumped at thousands of illegal sites scattered around the Emirate, some of which have been in use for many years and are steadily growing in size, polluting the environment and threatening the health of our citizens.

www.ead.ae 1

INTRODUCTIONA transformation in waste management is taking place in Abu Dhabi.

This guide explains the steps that are being taken to help and encourage organisations in our government and business sectors to reduce the amount of waste they produce and to take responsibility for the collection, segregation, transfer, tracking and disposal of their waste.

It highlights the rewards of an integrated, professional and efficient waste management system.

It is one of a series of guides created by The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi that explores the key environmental sustainability challenges facing the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

65

13

8

NONHAZARDOUSSOLID WASTE

BY SOURCE,2013 (%)

11

21

The vast majority of waste – 64.9% – comes from our many construction and demolition sites, mainly concentrated in the vibrant Abu Dhabi City area. The oil and gas industry, medical, retail and food production sectors all generate significant quantities of waste too, along with factories, offices, farms, municipal buildings, streets and public spaces.

Large quantities of waste are mixed together and therefore unsuitable for recycling, resulting in it going to landfill sites instead, adding to a growing problem and losing opportunities to reuse valuable resources.

Without urgent actions to improve the way we organise, resource and regulate our waste management activities, the size of these problems will increase rapidly as our population and economy continue to grow, causing serious risks to public health, damage to the environment and our natural resources and threatening the prosperity of future generations.

CONSTRUCTION & DEMOLITION WASTE MUNICIPAL INDUSTRY AND COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURE OIL AND GAS WASTE SEWAGE SLUDGE

2 Good for business, society and the environment: Sustainable waste management for organisations

HOW THE GOVERNMENT IS RESPONDINGImproving waste management in the Emirate is one of the Government’s five priority areas set out in the Abu Dhabi Environment Vision 2030. Abu Dhabi aims to be a leader in waste management, as part of its overall goal “to preserve and enhance Abu Dhabi’s natural heritage and pass it on to future generations, acting as a regional leader in the efficient use of resources and contributing to a better quality of life for all.”

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), Tadweer (Centre for Waste Management – Abu Dhabi – CWM), the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulations (FANR), and the Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company (ADSSC) have jointly developed an integrated, five year strategy to address the Emirate’s waste management infrastructure, operations, monitoring, enforcement and funding arrangements.

The strategy, developed in consultation with 18 key stakeholders in 2014, aims to build a world class and sustainable waste management system based on robust and accurate data. It includes a series of policies to be developed to promote a professional and thorough approach to this important issue and establishes clear regulation and licensing controls, including for Environmental Service Providers in the Emirate. To provide a real focus for action, a set of priority targets has been established to be achieved by 2020 (See Selected 2020 Targets).

We will transform our approach to waste management by educating and encouraging government and private sector organisations and individuals to take more responsibility for their waste and to be accountable for its safe and legal disposal.

Together, our aim is to reduce the amount of waste we generate, send less waste to landfill sites and encourage the reuse and recycling of materials instead.

We are committed to the creation of state-of-the-art facilities that prevent the loss of these valuable resources and cutting out illegal dumping and the flouting of our laws.

To achieve the transformation we need, we are calling upon government and private sector organisations and individuals to work together with renewed commitment. By regarding waste as a potentially valuable resource, we can deliver significant benefits for our economy, our society and the environment too.

SELECTED 2020 TARGETS:

75% OF MUNICIPAL WASTE DIVERTED FROM

LANDFILL (UP FROM 33% IN 2013)

REDUCE MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE

FROM 1.7KG TO 0.9KG/CAPITA/DAY

REDUCE CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION WASTE FROM 96KG

TO LESS THAN 55KG/CONSTRUCTION GDP/UNIT

100% OF MEDICAL AND HAZARDOUS WASTE TO BE PROPERLY TREATED (UP FROM 28% IN 2013)

Source: Annual Policy Brief document

202075%

2013 33% 2013

2020

28%

100%

2013 (1.7)

2020 (0.9)

2013 (96)

2020 (55)

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BENEFITS FOR ALL

Achieving our goal of being a leader in waste management will deliver substantial benefits across Abu Dhabi – and beyond our borders too – for business and the economy, for our citizens and their families, for the environment and our natural resources. Our new, efficient and comprehensive waste management system will be great for:

BUSINESS AND THE ECONOMY because it:• enhances Abu Dhabi’s international reputation

as a world-class business environment with a focus on sustainable development

• stimulates growth, investment, jobs and opens up new areas of commercial activity, such as recycling, resource reuse and waste-derived energy production

• promotes business efficiencies, cuts overall costs and increases income through the reuse and recycling of materials.

CITIZENS AND THEIR FAMILIES because it:• is good for health by reducing the breeding

grounds for harmful infectious diseases• creates and sustains employment opportunities • enhances local communities affected by

illegal dumping.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND OUR NATURAL RESOURCES because it:• reverses the damage to habitats essential

for wildlife and plants• prevents contamination of landscapes,

soil and groundwater • reduces the demand for finite resources

through reuse and recycling and optimises material flow.

4 Good for business, society and the environment: Sustainable waste management for organisations

The Government’s Waste Management Strategy describes a wide range of infrastructure investment projects that will deliver the transformation we seek – and there are already initiatives underway that are taking important steps towards the achievement of ambitious targets.

All new construction developments are now subject to The Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council’s Estidama Pearl Rating System, the first of its kind in the Middle East. Estidama means sustainability in Arabic and is a symbol of Abu Dhabi’s commitment to sustainable development.

Its rating system sets minimum standards for the planning and construction of buildings and provides incentives for developers who achieve a sliding scale of targets covering waste segregation, diversion from landfill, recycling, sourcing of building materials and energy and water consumption.

So far more than 40 developments in the Emirate are working to the Pearl Rating System standards and there is a full programme of Estidama training for construction industry professionals to spread best practice and keep Abu Dhabi on target to transform the Emirate into a model of sustainable development.

CASE STUDIES:A FIRST FOR THE MIDDLE EAST

The Etihad Airways Services Catering facility at Abu Dhabi International Airport has strict and extensive procedures for segregating reusable and recyclable materials throughout their facilities.

This includes segregation and recycling from:• Inflight meal and service item

preparation• Trolleys and carts from the aircraft• Staff canteens operated by

the catering facility at Etihad Airways’ offices.

During preparation there are many recyclable items, in particular packaging waste, which adds up to around 70 tonnes each month. This is bundled and sent for recycling, together with nearly 30 tonnes per month of inflight newspapers and magazines. In addition around 25 tonnes of glass items, primarily bottles, are recovered for recycling every month from the Etihad fleet.

Etihad Airways’ crew are encouraged to assist in the recycling effort by placing empty cans and bottles into meal carts or other areas in the aircraft galley so that they are more easily identified and separated. As a result of this initiative, each and every day the crew now collects nearly 4,000 plastic bottles and over 400 aluminium cans for recycling.

ETIHAD AIRWAYS SETS THE STANDARD FOR RECYCLING

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TIME FOR ACTION

A recycling project in Abu Dhabi Municipality buildings has resulted in more than 400 tonnes of waste paper being recycled. Containers were provided to segregate waste at source, predominantly paper, plastic and cans. The contents of each stream are weighed and then transferred into biodegradable bags for removal, transfer and recycling by a professional waste management contractor.

Waste Management in Abu Dhabi is changing for the better – and now is the time for everyone to take the necessary steps to contribute to a more efficient and sustainable waste management system, for the benefit of our citizens, our environment and our economy, for decades to come. Each organisation should develop its own waste management plan and actions, using the following simple, step-by-step model:

THE AMOUNT OF PLASTIC BOTTLES AND ALUMINIUM CANS

COLLECTED BY THE CREW EVERY DAY FOR RECYCLING.

Segregate waste streams and arrange easy to use collection facilities

Use approved Environmental Service Providers to assist with segregation, collection and treatment

Share good practice with business partners

Review procurement and the supply chain to ensure that products have a high recycled content and can be easily recycled

Buy local to reduce transport costs and emissions

Communicate success with employees, partners and suppliers

IMPLEMENT WASTE MANAGEMENT ACTIONS

Define and catalogue your waste management requirements and opportunities

Review available best practice and sources of support, advice and guidance

Develop your waste management objectives, targets, plans and programmes

Consider new and innovative ways of organising business activities that reduce and manage waste

Investigate the support available from the Government and its agencies

Communicate, educate and motivate employees to participate

Set achievable waste reduction targets

Review progress and measure success

CREATE A SIMPLE WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN

LEARN MORETel: +971 2 445 4777 Fax: +971 2 446 3339 customerservice@ead.ae www.ead.ae

6 Good for business, society and the environment: Sustainable waste management for organisations

MAKING A START

The figures in this publication are sourced from: Waste Management Strategy for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, 2014; Towards Integrated Waste Management in Abu Dhabi, 2013 Annual Policy Brief; and Green Office – A guide to a more cost-effective and sustainable office.

While your organisation is creating a waste management plan there are many simple, effective and immediate steps that can be taken to help reduce waste and operate more sustainably, for the benefit of everyone. These include:

Always use approved Environmental Service Providers and obey all laws and regulations. To learn more about how to get your waste management plans and programmes underway, see below for our contact and website details.

MAKING SOMEONE RESPONSIBLE FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT

INTRODUCING BASIC RECYCLING CONTAINERS

MOVING PAPER-BASED SYSTEMS TO ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS

THINKING TWICE ABOUT PRINTING

HARD COPIES

ASKING EMPLOYEES FOR THEIR IDEAS ABOUT HOW

TO PREVENT WASTE

IDENTIFYING WHICH MATERIALS, SUCH AS PACKAGING, CAN BE

SAVED AND REUSED

THE LATE SHEIKH ZAYED BIN SULTAN AL NAHYAN, FOUNDER OF THE UAE.

On land and in the sea, our forefathers lived and survived in this environment. They were able to do so only because they recognised the need to conserve it, to take from it only what they needed to live, and to preserve it for succeeding generations.

We cherish our environment because it is an integral part of our country, our history and our heritage.