More than 100 factories in Bahrain's Southern Municipality have signed up for a national recycling scheme.

Launched by the Al Majid Recycling Plastic and Metal Factory in Salmabad, it aims to reduce the amount of plastic dumped in Bahrain by 35 per cent, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

The company has signed deals with the Southern, Northern and Central Municipalities and hopes to be processing up to 700 tonnes of waste a month.

Its factory, which opened in December, is said to be the first of its kind in Bahrain and turns waste products into plastic granules, which is sold to local and international factories in India and Japan.

"We've started rolling out the campaign in the Southern Municipality, mostly in Riffa and the industrial areas," said the company's chief executive Hameed Al Majid.

"All the factories in the south of Bahrain are now taking part in the recycling programme, apart from Alba and Bapco.

"It's been very successful so far.

"In the past we used to collect their paper for recycling, and now we'll collect their plastic too.

"We haven't started with the houses yet, we'll be doing that part by part.

"We have to go slowly because it's a huge project."

Al Majid said that according to the agreement with the municipality, the factory will also cover Bahrain University.

"Bahrain University has 25,000 students, so you can influence and educate 25,000 families and households," he said.

"As part of our work, we will give lectures from time to time, show them how to segregate their rubbish at home and collect the refuse from the university.

"It's really important to begin here because it has a large impact."

A six-man team from the Northern Municipality are also going around homes to educate families and visiting schools.

"A considerable, sizable part of Bahrain will be covered in two years' time, if we continue to go at our current pace," said Al Majid.

"This can only work in conjunction with the municipality, private sector and the public.

"It's a triangle. Unless we three work together, this venture won't succeed."

Bahrain is one of the leading countries in the world in waste dumped per capita.

Northern Municipality senior follow-up co-ordinator Raja Marhoon previously said each person in Bahrain produces an average of 2.7 kg of waste a day, 33 per cent of which could still be used.

"If something isn't done to stop the amount of waste we're producing, in 10 to 15 years, Askar will be like Buhair Valley," said Al Majid, whose company has reportedly suffered financial difficulties as a result of taking on the scheme.

"The government will want to clean it up and will not be able to.

"International companies that are giving quotas for factories in Bahrain are pitching that it would cost about $450 million to burn the rubbish of Bahrain today, and even then it would only be 60 per cent of the rubbish.

"It would cost $150 million a year to run the factory, and they would want an affidavit from the government stating that they would buy the output of the factory.

"The fuel would be at 85 fils (22 cents) per kilowatt, but how would the government buy it at that and then sell it at 15 fils to the public?" - TradeArabia News Service