Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Waste Management Centre (Tadweer) on Sunday announced it has processed more than 1.86 million tonnes of waste, including 88,382 tonnes of medical and hazardous waste, and handled 50,000 pest control requests during the first half of 2022.
Tadweer successfully diverted 34 per cent of all waste in Abu Dhabi away from landfills. This included diverting 50 per cent of waste resulting from demolition and construction operations, 93 per cent of hazardous waste, three per cent of green waste, and six per cent of animal waste.
It also signed operational contracts for pest control services and reducing disease vector pests, in addition to adopting the electronic approvals system for No Objection Certificates (NOCs) in Abu Dhabi, as well as organising awareness campaigns across the emirate.
Dr Salem Al Kaabi, acting director-general of Tadweer, said: “The achievements realised during the first half of 2022 are a testament to the Centre’s efficacy and its pivotal position in building a sustainable system for waste management and pest control in Abu Dhabi, in order to maintain Abu Dhabi’s cleanliness and aesthetics. This is in line with the strategic objectives of the Centre to ensure value-added services are provided to the community.”
He added: “The Centre’s highly skilled teams will continue their efforts to finding more solutions that realise sustainability by preserving natural resources, creating an aware society that contributes to reducing waste, and converting waste into an economic resource for the emirate, all in order to create a safe, healthy, and sustainable environment.”
How medical waste is handled
Tadweer said it is committed to treating and recycling all kinds of waste, with medical and hazardous waste being among the most crucial types of waste that the Centre treats using the best standards and practices available in the field. This is carried out via its three centres in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, which collect, transport, and treat all medical waste produced by hospitals, clinics, healthcare centres, pharmacies, educational establishments, and more. This waste is incinerated at high temperatures that reach up to 1,200C, “while adhering to the best environmental and health practices of the UAE”.
Recycling milestone
In line with the emirate’s vision to achieve the environmental objectives related to proper waste management, recycling and diverting waste from landfills, Tadweer has recycled around 29,000 tonnes of agricultural and animal waste during the first half of 2022. This helped to produce around 13,000 tonnes of organic fertiliser, in addition to producing around 1.2 million tonnes of recycled gravel from demolition and construction waste in Abu Dhabi during the same time period.
The overall amount of recyclable waste collected from recyclable collection centres during the first half of this year amounted to 39 tonnes of waste. More than two-thirds (67 per cent) of this was made up of paper and cardboard materials, in addition to plastics, wood, clothing, expired medication, used batteries, metals, aluminium cans, glassware, and more.
Pest control
Regarding pest control, the rate of infestations by disease vector pests dropped to 1.9 per cent, which is much lower than the minimum accepted rate of five per cent. Mosquito infestations dropped to 1.4 per cent, as smart mosquito traps were increased to 640 traps across the emirate. The Centre also received 50,000 requests for combating disease vector pests, nuisance pests, and stray animals, “all of which were handled in accordance with the highest international standards and global practices”.
Monitoring the waste sector, The Centre has detected around 1,095 cases of arbitrary dumping of solid waste, and 5,248 cases of dumping sewage in Abu Dhabi.
Public awareness
Tadweer organised around 21 awareness campaigns in Abu Dhabi, including field visits to various educational establishments and government agencies, benefitting more than 14,000 people in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and Al Dhafra. This directly aligns with Tadweer’s commitment to raising environmental awareness about the importance of proper treatment and disposal of waste and protecting the environment.
Digital drive
Also, Tadweer adopted the electronic approvals system for No Objection Certificates (NOCs) in Abu Dhabi for all requests that require technical review by experts for issuing approvals related to building and construction and infrastructure development projects.
Additionally, in March, Tadweer announced the application of the Internet of Things (IoT) technology at the demolition and construction waste treatment station in Al Dhafra in Abu Dhabi, “a step that is the first of its kind in the Middle East”.
Dh235 million contracts
Tadweer’s achievements during the first half of 2022 included signing four operational contracts valued at Dh235 million, which aim to provide value-added services to its clients and the community, and the proper and safe disposal of waste in line with approved standards and practices.
The contracts were signed for managing, operating, maintaining, monitoring, and controlling supervised landfills in Al Ain city and Al Dhafra region, and managing, operating, maintaining, monitoring, and controlling the Hamim supervised landfill and the solid municipal waste and commercial and industrial waste transport station. In addition, Tadweer signed new operational contracts for pest control services in Al Ain city.
