SHARJAH // The emirate's zero-waste target is good news for the environment, but experts say it may be too good to be true.
Sharjah, which recycles about a third of its waste, aims to effectively stop sending any waste to landfills by 2015.
The goal was announced last week by the municipal company Bee'ah, which manages waste in Sharjah.
On Monday, Sharjah announced it will invest Dh100 million in waste-collection equipment and plastic rubbish bins for households. The programme will take effect from next year.
But most of the emirate's recycling is of materials from construction and demolition sites. Less than 10 per cent of household waste in the emirate is recycled.
Experts were sceptical that the emirate would achieve its 2015 target.
"With the current level of recycling, that seems to be a very ambitious target," said Nigel Mattravers, the director at Grant Thornton, a British government and infrastructure advisory with an office in Dubai.
"There needs to be an integrated plan behind this."
One key, Mr Mattravers said, would be legislation that increased the price of leaving waste in landfills. Private companies now pay Dh50 for every tonne of waste dumped, which is substantially less than in countries with high recycling rates.
The Netherlands recycles 80 per cent of its waste and burns 16 per cent. What little is left is sent to landfills for a tax of €110 (Dh552) a tonne.
Khaled Al Huraimel, the chief executive at Bee'ah, said the company was in discussions with the municipality over a possible rise in landfill fees.
Until then, dumping may be the easier thing for companies to do.
"While people are still allowed to dump waste very cheaply, it is hard to make the business case for building a recycling plant or a reprocessing plant," Mr Mattravers said.
Enforcement agencies are also important, he said, because if fees increased, so too would the number of people who were willing to avoid paying by dumping rubbish illegally.
Glenn Platt, an environmental manager at KEO Infrastructure, a consultancy with offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, had a similar opinion.
"Zero waste is a great ideal to strive towards but there need to be a number of steps to take to get at least close to that," said Mr Platt.
Legislative change, incentives for the recycling industry, enforcement and building public trust are all important, he said.
"Without those, we will struggle to get there," Mr Platt said. "We cannot disguise the fact that we generate a lot of waste. Governments here are realising there is a need to do something … they are making some right steps but they need to do more."
Mr Al Huraimel said one way Bee'ah could achieve its target was by building an incinerator.
"We have been negotiating with several companies for the past year," he said. "We are still looking for the best technology to work with."
The company is expected to announce its plans next year.
Incinerators have caused significant levels of air pollution, but new technologies can ease the problem and the heat produced by incinerators can be trapped to generate electricity.
Bee'ah is scheduled to introduce its recycling programme in villa compounds and low-rise buildings early next year. Residents will be asked to use two bins - a blue one for recyclable materials such as plastic, paper, glass and metal; and a green one for general waste.
Also in the works are plans to build a visitor centre at the factory where Sharjah's waste is sorted into different types of recyclables. The centre is scheduled to open in 2013.
Bee'ah last week signed a memorandum of understanding with NL Agency, a body under the Dutch ministry of economic affairs that works on projects in sustainability and innovation.
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Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Defending champions
World Series: South Africa
Women’s World Series: Australia
Gulf Men’s League: Dubai Exiles
Gulf Men’s Social: Mediclinic Barrelhouse Warriors
Gulf Vets: Jebel Ali Dragons Veterans
Gulf Women: Dubai Sports City Eagles
Gulf Under 19: British School Al Khubairat
Gulf Under 19 Girls: Dubai Exiles
UAE National Schools: Al Safa School
International Invitational: Speranza 22
International Vets: Joining Jack
Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
