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Riyadh unveils integrated waste management, recycling plan

RIYADH, July 14, 2019

Three Saudi entities - National Waste Management Center, Riyadh Municipality and Saudi Investment Recycling Company (a subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund) - have launched an integrated plan in Riyadh to help improve the collection and recycling of waste in the city as part of Vision 2030 goals to preserve and protect the environment and achieve environmental sustainability by improving recycling rates.
 
A tripartite agreement was signed by the three parties to start integrated waste management and waste recycling activities in Riyadh.
 
Under the deal, the trio will jointly work on the execution of the overall waste management strategy for Riyadh in order to achieve a set of strategic objectives for recycling for the capital city by 2035. 
This notably includes the recycling of 81 per cent of the 3.4 million tonnes of annually produced municipal solid waste and 47 per cent of the approximately five million tonnes of construction and demolition waste per year. 
 
The strategy further aims to remove and recycle an estimated 20 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste that is currently lying in vacant plots and on roadsides around the capital, remarked Engineer Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al Fadley, the Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, and chairman of the board of directors of the National Waste Management Center, after signing the deal with Engineer Tariq bin Abdul Aziz Al Faris, Mayor of Riyadh region and Engineer Jeroen Vincent, the CEO of Saudi Investment Recycling Company (SIRC).
 
As part of an integrated waste management system, the SIRC will build state-of-the-art recycling facilities to recycle all types of waste. This includes the recycling of municipal waste into recyclables such as fertiliser, paper, plastics and metals, he stated. 
 
The first initiative within the framework agreement will be the recycling of construction and demolition waste into building materials for road construction and housing projects followed by the construction of a sorting facility for municipal waste, in conjunction with the Mayor of Riyadh region project “City without bins”, which aims at the dual source-sorting of household waste in Riyadh, said the minister. 
 
The Mayor of Riyadh region recently launched an experiment to replace single bins in some residential neighbourhoods, with two bins for each house. 
 
The Mayor of Riyadh region designated green bins for inorganic materials such as plastics, paper, cardboard, glass and metal cans, while the black bins were for organic waste, residues, and components of food.
 
Al Fadley said: "This signing of the MoUs comes within the framework of efforts to preserve and protect the environment, and achieve environmental sustainability, which the ministry is working on in order to activate the national environmental strategy."
 
Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, represented by the National Waste Management Center, in partnership with the other governmental entities, aims to increase the rate of recycling, stimulate new techniques, and encourage more investment in the waste sector, he stated.
 
"The agreement intends to activate the investment pathway in the waste and waste management sector through an alliance with companies specialised in the field of waste management and treatment," added Al Fadhley.
 
Al Faris said the pact strengthened its continuous efforts to improve the system of work in the waste management sector and upgrade the services provided to Riyadh residents in accordance with the best international standards.
 
Vincent said: "We are proud and honoured to be part of this agreement that will enable our role as waste management sector development company by establishing state-of-the-art recycling facilities."
 
"This is a great opportunity for the city of Riyadh and the local industry. Our initiative will not only contribute to a cleaner city, but will also unlock a large volume of materials for the paper, plastic and metals industry," he added.-TradeArabia News Service



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