Ecat en V19

Issue 19, January 2018
ENVIROCITIES
eM agazine
A Magazine for the Environmental Center for Arab Towns
Generating Economic
Development through
Integrated Waste
Management
partners
2
Our Message
H.E. Eng. Hussain Nassir Lootah

Director General of Dubai Municipality
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the
Environmental Center for Arab Towns
Protection of the environment issue from pollution and

risks become of the most critical issues facing humanity,
and when we look to the future, it is a very complex and
sensitive in nature, as well it relates to our daily living
and their direct impact on many of our lives. Therefore,
the issue of environmental protection is a crucial public
issue and should not leave to the Governments alone or
for professionals only for consideration and addressed,
everyone in the community is responsible and involved
in preventing environmental harm, from his position or
location as he could. We believe that the implementation
of projects and eco-friendly initiatives in the frame and
connected with urban development plans and strategic
plans in city councils, is the key to the emergence of green
cities. In our effort to practice the same and keeping
with the times, the EnviroCities magazine is dedicated
to be an online magazine only to raise environmental
awareness and to enable maximum outreach in shortest
time. Dubai Municipality believes in the importance of
Environmental awareness and wants to define its role in
environmental protection and conservation to achieve
sustainability and real development as we are working,
which makes Dubai an excellent city that provides the
essence of success and comfort of living.
Envirocities eMagazine
3 Issue 19 – January 2018
Contents
Circular Economy: Waste Management in
Transforming Burden to Dubai Sustainable Tourism
Bounty (DST)
4 - 10 29 - 30
Smart and Sustainable Current Status and Future

Waste Management in Challenges in the Municipal
Dubai Waste Management
11 - 15
31 - 35
Sharjah’s Path to Resource Sustainable Municipal

Recovery: A Paradigm Shift Waste Management
in Waste Management Integrated municipal waste
management for Aramco
Refinery in Jazan Economic
16 - 19 city
36 - 39
Ecological Urban Waste

Towards Smarter Design Generating Revenue And
Management with the Economic Development
Internet of Things From Waste Management
20 - 23 40 - 45
20 - 23
Generating Revenue from

Waste Management
24 - 28
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Circular Economy: Transforming Burden to Bounty
Prof. Dr. Peter Heck,

Dr Michael Knaus,
Ranahansa Dasanayake, PhD-Candidate
Institute for Applied Material Flow Management [IfaS],
Environmental Campus Birkenfeld, Trier University of Applied
Sciences, Germany
1. Waste: A Universal Burden
Despite having no consensus, two commonly cited definitions provide well-rounded explanations on what
waste is (and is not).
According to Basel convention, “wastes are substances or objects which are disposed or
are intended to be disposed or are required to be disposed of by the provisions of national
laws”1 .
More elaborately, the United Nations Statistics Division defines wastes as materials that
are not prime products (that is products produced for market) for which the generator
has no further use in terms of his/her own purpose of production, transformation or
consumption, and of which she/he wants to dispose. On the aspects of generation, it
further states that “wastes may be generated during the extraction of raw materials, the
processing of raw materials into intermediate and final products, the consumption of
final products, and other human activities. Residuals recycled or reused at the place of
generation are excluded” 1 .
As hinted in the definitions, ‘waste’ is a complex subject which necessarily making it difficult to classify. The
multitude of variables acting upon it is illustrated in the Figure 1 below. It also highlights the underlying
complexity of ‘management’ of waste, which an intensifying theme of discussion, globally.
Figure 1: Complexity of waste and its overlapping classifications,

[Graphic source: GRIDA-Arendal, 2017, http://www.grida.no/resources/5875]
Despite the broad scope of the subject, herein we focus on the most bothersome aspect of waste; Municipal
Solid Waste [MSW] to illustrate how a burden could be transformed to a bounty through the use of sensible
management practices and respective technologies.
Substantiated by the current definitions and the negative connotation tethered to it, ‘waste’ in general is
considered as a burden, a nuisance, and something that must be put ‘away’. Away from the socio-economic
systems. For time immemorial, this ‘away’ has been a hole in the ground or a water body (either flowing or
stagnant, salty or fresh). With increasing population, rapid economic growth, diminishing land availability, and
nearly manic societal metabolism, this ‘away’ has come rapidly and dangerously close to the socio-economic
systems itself that generate waste, globally. At the turn of the Anthropocene, we have realised that there is no
‘away’ anymore to dispose of our societal metabolic by-products.
According to a World Bank report, it was estimated that the global burden of MSW is going to be over 2.2
billion tonnes per annum with a generation rate of 1.42 kilograms per capita by 2025; ca. a factor-3 increment
compared to that of the base year (2002). See Table 1. It underscores the fact that already strained global MSW
management methods such as landfilling and incineration shall implode under the mounting pressure not
only due to the limited capacity issues but also due to the heavy environmental burden resulting from them.
Therefore, a paradigm shift in MSW management is required, pronto.
GLOBAL POPULATION MSW PER CAPITA MSW PER ANNUM

YEAR
[billion] [kg/day] [billion tonnes]
2002 2.9 0.64 0.68
2012 3.0 1.2 1.3
2025 4.3 1.42 2.2
Table 1: Trends in global MSW generation

[Data source: What a waste: a global review of solid waste management, 2012, WBG
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTURBANDEVELOPMENT/0,,contentMDK:23172887~page
PK:210058~piPK:210062~theSitePK:337178,00.html]
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In light of that, incineration of MSW is promoted

2. Burry or Burn: Equally Bad Options as a ‘viable’ alternative even in environmentally
conscious advanced economies partly owing to
misconceptions and lack of understanding of its
Notwithstanding the level of income or the economic inner working. In certain instances, incineration,
status of a country, most widely employed methods compared to landfilling and/or dumping, performs
of MSW management to date are –in order of better due to the fact that incineration of MSW
frequency– landfilling, dumping and incineration. produces a significantly high volume of usable
The negative consequences of landfilling and/or energy (electricity and heat) that results in better
dumping are extensively studied, well documented, environmental offsets (see for example Assamoi and
and thoroughly understood, yet continued to be Lawryshyn (2012)1 . However, frequently, taken out
practiced in most parts of the world. Some of of context –sometimes based on unfounded claims–,
its impacts include (but not limited to); ground, MSW incineration is inordinately promoted as an
water, and air pollution due to gases, leachate etc., overall environmentally sound solution for MSW
deterioration of well-being and loss of quality of life, management. A comprehensive account of ‘why
mounting economic burdens on municipalities, loss MSW incineration is the wrong choice’ is provided
of resources and associated revenues. by Leonard (2010)2 whereas Table 2 below highlights
some key arguments those that oppose MSW
incineration.
Table 2: Incineration is the wrong choice, [Sources: Leonard, 2010; NTN1 , n/a]
ARGUMENT CASE IN POINT
1. Releases toxic air pollutants and Incinerators’ emissions include persistent organic
produce toxic ashes pollutants (e.g. dioxins and furans and also nanoparticles
and toxic heavy metals that impact human and ecosystem
health. All incinerators produce ash (fly ash and bottom
ash) contaminated with toxic heavy meatless and POPs.
2. Dirtiest form of energy that wastes Burning waste produces toxic emissions and greenhouse
embedded energy gases. It dissipates the embedded energy in resources
such as in plastics or synthetic polymers and recovers
only a minute fraction by way of calorific value.
3. Undermines recycling efforts and High calorific value ‘fuel’ required to run the incinerators
destroy resources are also the high market value resources (such as plastics,
paper, and wood) with embedded energy that can be
easily recycled, that is burnet and destroyed to produce
toxic ashes.
ARGUMENT CASE IN POINT
4. The costliest waste management The lifecycle costs of incineration are among the highest of
option that entrenches a linear economy all waste management solutions whereas it [incineration]
relies on a steady supply of waste for decade. That
encourages steady waste generation through the use of
virgin resources and prevents recycling, sustaining a liner
economy.
With current exhaust gas treatment technologies, as standardly required in developed countries such as
Germany in its “Technical Instruction Air Safety (TA Luft)” the first two arguments could be countered. A set
of different high-tec filter cascades does the magic, but at high cost. In average, in Germany the treatment cost
in waste incineration plants sums up to a 160EUR per ton of MSW. That´s a negative added value and lead
to tremendous high energy prices, which above the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) achieved by competitive
renewable energy technologies.
Despite a broad spectrum of persuasive evidence opposing the conventional MSW management practices,
landfilling, dumping, and incineration continues to thrive globally due to the general lack of ‘enforced’ laws,
political and social willingness to change, and tangible alternatives. To that end, the need of the hour is a
paradigm shift.
3. Waste-to-Resources: A Paradigm Shift
Evident from the European frontier of sustainable environmental management, it is clear that waste is no
longer considered a burden thanks to the enabling policies and enforced laws those that actively support the
sustainable resource management models –such as the Circular Economy model– and environmentally benign
waste-to-resource technologies.
Moving out of the existing ‘linear economic model’ –which is based on the premise that resources are unlimited,
which perpetuates the ‘extract, process, use, and discard’ iteration– is a major paradigm shift. For example, in
Germany, this process is accelerated through the policy implementation of ‘closure of the landfills by (2005)3.
The alternative model pursued; the Circular Economy model, is, as the European Parliament Research Service
noted, “the notion that the value of materials and products is kept as high as possible for as long as possible”,
through cyclical use of the material in an economy. It further notes that “this [CE model] helps to minimise
the need for the input of new material and energy, thereby reducing environmental pressure linked to the life-
cycle of products, from resources extraction, through production and use to end-of-life”4. Figure 2 synoptically
presents the concept of Circular Economy where waste is no longer viewed as a burden, instead ‘a resource’ that
fuels a multitude of cyclic economic activities. CE concept is based on the ecological principles of symbiosis
and material recycling in nature, thus true to its principles the scale and scope of CE applications are vast.
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Figure 2: The concept of Circular Economy [CE], [Graphic source: EPRS, 2017]
4. Burden to Bounty: A German Experience
To elaborate the practical application of sustainable waste management in the Circular Economy, here we
provide an example from the Europe’s First Zero Emission Campus; the Environmental Campus Birkenfeld
[ECB].
ECB (established in 1996); a sub-campus of the Trier University of Applied Science is a converted, disused
American reserve military hospital employing eco-compatible building methods and zero emission technologies
to become the first Zero Emission Campus in Europe. Among an extensive portfolio of cutting-edge ZE
technologies, ECB is maintaining its energy autonomy to date through the use of Zero Emission, renewable,
and green energy by utilising regionally available biomass. Energy –both heat and electricity– are supplied by
a neighbouring biomass combined heat and power station, which uses regionally available waste-wood and
organic MSW. Based on the principles of industrial symbiosis [IS], ECB is connected to the neighbouring eco-
industrial park via a district heating system and a low-voltage electricity transmission grid (for energy flows),
whereas to reciprocate the flows, the biomass generated on campus is supplied to the biomass-based power
station. The wood-chip-based power station –established in 1997– has an installed thermal capacity of 28MW,
which utilises ca. 65,000 tonnes of low and high contaminated waste wood per year sourced from regional
forestry, agriculture, landscape gardening, and industry to produce 8MW heat, 37.5 tonnes per hours of steam
and up to 8.3MW electricity for ECB, the neighbouring industrial facilities, and the national electricity grid.
In addition, the cogeneration unit utilises the biogas output of the nearby anaerobic digester that treats ca.
40,000 tonnes of bio-waste annually, collected from the Municipalities of Birkenfeld (including the food and
other organic waste of ECB) and Bad Kreuznach. The by-products of anaerobic digestion of bio-waste, both
liquid and solid fractions, are provided to the local farmers to be used as fertiliser and soil amendments in the
agricultural croplands thereby close the regional nutrient cycle. This further reduces the soil, water, and air
pollution due to the disposal of bio-waste in a conventional landfill. Also, this action strengthens the regional
economy by preventing the net cash outflow by eliminating the need to purchase synthetic fertiliser for crop
production. Figure 3 below schematically presents the waste-to-resource system of ECB based on the CE model.
In addition, this waste-to-resources initiative of ECB has created a large number of direct and indirect
employments in the energy and environmental management sectors. It also serves as a regional and national
‘lighthouse project’ for ZE, CE, and suitable regional development knowledge dissemination. Annually a large
number of students, researchers, public and private sector employees, and interest groups and citizens visit this
faculty to learn from the practical example, which is organised as part of the knowledge sharing efforts of ECB5.
Figure 3: Waste-to-resources in Circular Economy, [Graphic Source: IfaS, 2017]
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References
1. Assamoi, B., and Lawryshyn, Y., 2012, The environmental comparison of landfilling vs. incineration of MSW
accounting for waste diversion, Waste Management, 32, 1019–1030.
2. Leonard, A., 2010, The Story of Stuff, Simon & Schuster, USA, pp. 272-279
3. Triggered by the European Union ‘Landfill Directive’: 1999/31/EC, by 2005 all landfills in Germany were shut and
harmonized with the EU directive on inert material disposal. See: https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/en/topics/
waste-resources/waste-disposal/landfill
4. EPRS, 2017, Towards a circular economy - Waste management in the EU, pp. 16-17. See: http://www.europarl.
europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2017/581913/EPRS_STU(2017)581913_EN.pdf
5. Find out more at: https://www.umwelt-campus.de/ucb/index.php?id=home&L=1 and http://www.stoffstrom.org/en/
Smart and Sustainable Waste Management in Dubai
Eng. Abdulmajeed Abdulaziz Saifaie

Head of Waste Management Department
Dubai Municipality
www.dm.gov.ae
I. Introduction
Rapid growth of industry, trade and urbanization, a result of a booming prosperous economy. Dubai a city like
no other, has now challenged the consequences of its prosperity which are mainly cleanliness and safety. In an
attempt to steer the city to a zero-waste scenario, Dubai Municipality has developed from its simple cleaning
cadre, to today a fully integrated and sustainable waste management system.
Faced with unique challenges such as the transitory population, tourists and a multinational resident population,
Dubai Municipality implemented and enforced innovative legislations, policies and strategies. Thru a unified
approach and putting emphasis on sustainability, Dubai Municipality continues to meet and exceed the
demands of the society for a high quality, efficient and effective waste management services.
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II. Current Initiatives
1. Smart Sustainability Oasis 2. Smart Gate System (Nafith)
A solar powered self-efficient recycling center with Smart Gate System (Nafith) is a fully automated
built in sensors and CCTV cameras that directly entry management system at Dubai Municipality
connect to headquarters, the smart sustainability landfill sites. Radio Frequency Identification
oasis is Dubai’s innovative recycling bring centers. technology (RFID), Automatic Number Plate
These centers shall be the places where the public Recognition (ANPR) and integrated software are
can dispose their unwanted but recyclable materials utilized to control entry of vehicles at sites, gather
which may not normally be included in the curbside weight information and automatic credit deduction.
collection service. With (13) centers strategically The initiative will reduce the time spent for vehicle
placed in the city, Dubai Municipality intends to entry therefore curbing emissions and increasing
encourage the public to use these facilities to recycle efficiency. The new system will also eliminate the use
and not to dispose unwanted recyclables. With of paper in entry transactions and reporting as well
the implementation of this new system which also as eliminate human induced errors as all information
serves as an educational hub due to smart screens will be automated.
that encourage users through displayed messages,
the government aims to create a mindset of recycling
as opposed to disposal. This initiative is projected to
increase recycling in the Emirate and in turn reduce
the quantity of waste going to landfills.
3. Bigbelly Waste Containers
Bigbelly is a waste container (bin) that uses solar power for 100% of its energy needs making it carbon neutral.
Bigbelly is fitted with a compaction capability, which thus it can hold six to eight times more waste than the
average street bin. The volume sensors installed in the bin triggers compaction when the waste reaches a certain
level. Each of the Bigbelly stations are geotagged in CLEAN (Management Software) allowing headquarters to
monitor the efficiency of the bins based on their location. The sensor also notifies headquarters when the bins
are almost full, allowing for logistics efficiency. Overall the bigbelly enhances the Dubai Municipality fleet’s
efficiency due to significant increase in collection at one time, less fuel consumption due to reduced trips, as
well as minimization of exploiting manpower and equipment.
4. Vehicle Tracking System (Rasid)
Is a GPS based technology that provides real time management and tracking system of the Dubai Municipality
fleet as well as private waste management companies registered in the Emirate. The system is also integrated
with efficiency and security applications to enhance the productivity of the vehicle and manpower. RASID’s
flexibility, strength, stability and continuous uninterrupted performance is a tool that has enhanced the Dubai
Municipality’s Waste Management to monitor, report and eliminate trespassers, thereby allowing better use of
the landfill. Incorporated in the design are wide range of functionalities such as vehicle maintenance, vehicle
tracking and diagnostics, driver management, speed management, fuel management and health and safety
management. Waste Management Department has the system installed and operational in its fleet, and private
companies that are licensed to use the landfills in the Emirate of Dubai.
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5. My City My Environment
Dubai Municipality is keen on applying international best practices to provide top class services to its residents
and in turn proactively promote individual environmental responsibility and sustainability. Door to door waste
collection is an “at source” waste segregation program aimed to increase the collection rate of recyclables at
the residential sector while at the same time providing also disposal option for unrecyclable waste. The system
provides two bins, one for recyclables and the other one for general waste. Various areas in the Emirate are
currently covered by this initiative, and in there are future plans to implement this all over Dubai.
6. Underground Waste Compactors
The underground waste collection system is an innovative solution to address the waste disposal needs in busy
and heavily populated public areas. With only one large bin under the ground, the system retrieves valuable
space which is otherwise occupied by communal bins. Having a compacting mechanism, the system has more
storage capacity which in turn reduces collection frequency to empty the container improving our fleet’s
logistics. The system also eliminates odors, protects the machinery from vandalism, and provides a better
aesthetic look in the area. The underground waste compactors were installed in various strategic locations all
around Dubai.
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Sharjah’s Path to Resource Recovery: A Paradigm Shift in Waste

Management
Mr. Daker Rabaya

Managing Director of Waste Processing, Treatment and Disposal at Bee'ah
https://beeah.ae/en
In 2006, waste diversion rates in Sharjah stood at a dismal 20%. HH Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al-
Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, recognised that proper disposal and treatment
of waste was pivotal to ensuring the sustainable growth of the emirate. With urbanisation, infrastructure
development and the growth of a highly diversified population, waste production and composition patterns
were drastically changing, necessitating new disposal and treatment techniques. Bee’ah was formed in 2007 in
recognition of this need and since then, we have implemented a waste management strategy for the emirate
that is regenerative and restorative in design. Through this strategy, Sharjah is now diverting 74% of its waste
away from landfill, achieving one of the highest diversion rates in the Middle East.
in landfills. If left untreated, this will not only

The Importance of Proper Disposal consume valuable space and affect the aesthetic
value of the landscape, but also release harmful gases
like methane, which is 18 times more poisonous
than CO2. This contributes to alarming issues like
global warming. Through a strategic combination of
waste collection and treatment methods, Bee’ah has
managed to triple diversion rates in Sharjah.
In addition to boosting diversion rates, waste
treatment also provides the dual benefit of preserving
resources, and of adding value to the economy
through the reintegration of recycled products. Waste
treatment is the driving force behind the adoption
of a circular economy. In today’s growing economy,
resources are being depleted faster than they can be
regenerated. When we use and dispose of a resource,
we lose the value and energy contained within it as
well. Through treatment, resources are repurposed
and restored to forms where they continue adding
Figure 1: Bee'ah’s green and blue waste value and producing energy, thus sustaining a loop
collection bins of recovery that saves time, effort and money.
When dealing with the issue of waste, proper disposal

is the first, and most critical, step to ensuring that Instrumental Role of Advanced
all subsequent processes can carried out effectively. Recycling Facilities
Every year, Bee’ah collects around 2.3 million
tonnes of waste from residents and establishments
in Sharjah. To ensure that the waste we collect can
be recovered or put to use in processes like waste-
to-energy, it is important for us to advise waste
generators on how to segregate the waste at the
source. Inert and high moisture content fractions
should be separated to prevent decontamination and
to increase the likelihood of treatment options like
energy generation. We have organised residential
recycling programmes and distributed green and
blue bins, dedicated to general and recyclable waste,
to encourage the separation of waste streams by the
public. These practices ensure that only a minimum
of waste collected in Sharjah is disposed in landfills.
The Case for Waste Processing & Treatment Figure 2: Bee'ah's retrofitted Material
Recovery Facility
The primary aim of waste processing and treatment

is diversion of waste from landfill. In a region like One of the pivotal requirements for extracting value
the UAE where the average individual produces 2.7 from waste is the availability of proper recycling
kg of waste per day, waste is accumulating rapidly facilities that can facilitate this process. The UAE and
the Middle East, in general, has very few state-of-
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the-art facilities dedicated to the process of resource machine to date, the Red Giant, which can shred a
recovery. By investing in advanced technology, we car in just 60 seconds. The facility also shreds light
can ensure greater recovery and treatment of finer metal scrap, segregating the individual metal, glass
materials which would otherwise be dumped in and plastic components for recycling.
landfills. Bee’ah was one of the first companies in
the Middle East to establish a waste management
centre, with advanced recycling facilities for specific
types of waste. We currently have facilities which
process materials like paper, plastic, tyres, vehicles,
metal, and construction & demolition waste, with
facilities for wood, industrial liquid and oil, plastic
film, PET plastic and others now under way. The
efficient processing of these materials helps us to
ensure sustainable growth and complete recovery of
recyclable materials.
Bee’ah’s Material Recovery Facility (MRF) is the

largest of its kind in the UAE, and one of the best
in the world. Possessing an annual capacity of over
500,000 tonnes, it processes around 2000 tonnes of
Figure 4: Bee'ah's Car & Metal Shredding &
recyclables every day. Recently, the MRF underwent
Recycling Facility
a retrofit that was developed by Oregon-based Bulk
Handling Systems, featuring Bag Breakers, Optical
Sorters and Nihot air separators. Following the The increasing number of vehicles have also led to
retrofit, the MRF is now recycling an impressive the accumulation of tyres in landfills. Bee’ah’s Tyre
amount of plastics, recovering 69 million pieces Recycling Facility caters to this problem by using
(equaling 1700 tonnes) in November alone. This state-of-the-art cryogenic processes to recycle over
has made the facility the biggest recovered plastics 9000 used tyres every day, achieving remarkable
producer, out of the mixed household recovery recovery rates.
facilities in the world. Since plastic constitutes a
major component of the household waste generated
in the UAE, we have been able to turn this non- Resource Opportunities in
biodegradable waste from a cause of concern, into Waste Treatment
a resource opportunity for our economy through its
recovery.
Recovery presents a number of resource
opportunities, right from new raw materials to
Construction waste constitutes 50 per cent of the recycled components that can be reintroduced into
waste generated in Sharjah. With a recovery rate of the economy, fueling a diverse revenue generation
around 95 to 97 per cent, Bee’ah’s Construction and model, which improves future resource security.
Waste Demolition Facility has ensured that most of
this waste is diverted from the landfill. Every year, the
facility processes around 500,000 tonnes of concrete, Products recovered from Bee’ah’s Construction and
bricks, wood, insulation and asphalt. Waste Demolition Facility are used as aggregate for
roads, pavements and walkways, while the crumb
rubber derived from our tyre recycling process is
Accounting for the increasing number of automobiles used to create running tracks, grass-surfaced and
on Sharjah’s roads, Bee’ah has also established a Car stadium playing areas, miniature golf courses and
and Metal Shredding and Recycling Facility as part artificial turf infill. In fact, the jogging track on Al
of its integrated waste management solution. Our Majaz Waterfront was produced using 6000 tyres
facility houses the world’s most powerful shredding that were recycled by Bee’ah.
Figure 5: Rubber tiles produced from recycled tyres, at Bee'ah's Tyre Recycling Facility.
Apart from the generation of materials, waste treatment can also produce energy. Bee’ah has joined forces with
Masdar to deploy waste-to-energy projects across the UAE. We are now building Sharjah’s first waste-to-energy
plant, which will incinerate non-recyclable waste to produce 30 MW of energy. With increasing urbanisation,
high calorific waste is increasing in Sharjah and this can be put to maximum use through projects like these.
With the UAE now implementing government initiatives like Green Economy for Sustainable Development,
the UAE Green Agenda 2015-2030 and the UAE Vision 2021, recovering value from waste is presenting a bigger
opportunity than ever before. Bee’ah is adhering to a decade-old commitment to ensuring that Sharjah exploits
the potential of these opportunities, to continue to be a driving force for sustainable economic development in
the UAE.
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Towards Smarter Waste Management with the Internet of Things
Matti Juutinen
Marketing Manager, Ecube Labs
Email: matti@ecubelabs.com
http://ecubelabs.com/
With strained budgets and growing populations, the world is facing a crisis that keeps growing: what to do with
the increasing generation of waste? How can municipalities handle the amount of solid waste that is expected
to double from the current 2 billion tonnes per year by 2025? Do the cities need to double the amount of their
collection vehicles and personnel to survive the crisis?
As we all know, traditionally waste collections are based on static routes and schedules within each city
neighborhood: the residents are usually expecting a once-a-week collection, whereas the businesses typically
have a more regular collection schedule depending on their industry. What is common for both is that the
amount of waste is almost never static and the waste collection companies can only guess which bins are full
or empty, causing unnecessary work and inefficient collection operations. Similarly, it is difficult for the waste
companies to know if a bin is overflowing before the next dispatch, causing an unsightly and smelly problem
in the neighborhood.
Although the waste generation keeps growing especially in developing nations, the situation is not completely
hopeless. Thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT), many forward-looking waste management companies are
now installing wirelessly connected sensors in their waste containers to enable reading fill-levels remotely in
real time. As a result, the collection companies and municipalities are saving money on the collection costs
while leaving a lighter ecological footprint and a cleaner environment.
Sensors, trackers and a cloud platform
The concept of the IoT-based waste management As for the software platform, its key feature is
is fairly simple: an ultrasonic fill-level sensor is monitoring the containers’ fill-levels historically and
installed in a container to send periodical data in real time, but nowadays it is also common to find
transmissions through 2G/3G or LPWAN to a a solution that allows predictive monitoring ahead
remote cloud platform, where the data gets processed of time. This allows an even more efficient route
and optimization is made. The sensor works by optimization as opposed to using only real-time data.
emitting acoustic waves and then receiving back Besides fill-level monitoring and route optimization,
the echo. Upon reaching a level surface, the waves the features usually include waste collection history,
reflect back to the sensor with a reading - similar to a overflow status, response times, fire events, push
process of echolocation. Besides measuring fill-level notifications, and error logs. The users can also
information to detect a full trash can, the sensor can receive actionable insight on collection performance
also measure the waste container’s temperature, GPS and efficiency, waste generation, and overflow
coordinates, and angular orientation. frequency to help them understand their operations
and pinpoint areas that can be improved.
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Some solution providers are now also providing an integrated fleet management solution where the hardware,
software and customer’s assets are all linked together. This enables the users to monitor vehicle statuses, control
schedule dispatch times, track driver behavior and fuel consumption, and give drivers access to reporting
tools for a comprehensive FM solution. Based on the data, the software platform can even provide customized
improvement recommendations on the overall operations ranging from optimized bin placement location and
distribution to collection schedules and fleet utilization.
Increased efficiency and cleaner spaces Making the connected bin even smarter
Detecting waste containers’ fill-levels remotely by Connecting the bins to the internet with smart
utilizing an IoT-based waste management solution fill-level sensors is only the beginning of the data-
enables waste management companies to increase driven waste technology space. The chances are that
their operational efficiency by up to 50%. The main you have already seen a futuristic looking waste
driver behind the increased efficiency is the reduced container with a solar panel on the top, capable of
amount of collection truck dispatches and waste not only measuring the fill-level but also compacting
collections, which subsequently results in smaller the waste and effectively increasing the bin capacity
fuel, labor, and fleet management costs. Non- by up to 6-8 times. The container which used to fit
monetary benefits of utilizing the solution include only 100 liters of trash suddenly fits up to 800 liters,
smart data-driven decision-making, reduced CO2 enabling even the busiest high foot traffic areas to
emissions, less noise pollution, cleaner public spaces, decrease the amount of collections and eliminate
and elimination of overflowing waste containers. overflowing waste bins. The solar energy is stored
Furthermore, reducing the waste overflow in rechargeable batteries, enabling the compactor to
occurrences will decrease the health risks caused to operate as a standalone system without any exterior
the waste collection personnel during picking up and wiring.
handling of the waste.
Solar-powered waste compactors commonly include
a number of additional features, such as LED/LCD
Usable with all types of containers and tanks panels for generating an additional revenue stream
through advertisements, a router that allows the
bins to act as Wi-Fi hotspots, and various safety
The IoT-based waste management solution can be features such as fire and motion safety detectors.
generally fitted with all types of waste containers and Most importantly, the bins reduce operational waste
tanks to measure any type of waste, including solids collection costs by up to 80%.
and liquids. The bins with the highest potential for
operational cost reduction include remotely located
and far apart locations, bins with versatile filling The leading provider of smart waste
patterns, and bins that hold high-value recyclables. technology
Because of the ability to monitor fill-levels, collections

points can be tailored depending on the waste If you are interested in learning more about how
stream to avoid unpleasant smells during specific IoT technology could improve your waste collection
seasons, events and/or locations. Ideal applications efficiency, and run a pilot project, please contact
can include but not limited to bins with difficult Ecube Labs. Our integrated waste management
access, as well as large overground and underground solution includes ultrasonic fill-level sensors, solar-
containers, silos and tanks. powered waste compacting bins, integrated fleet
management tracker, and a cloud platform that
combines together waste container monitoring, data
analytics, and fill-level forecasting. Most recently, we have published a fleet management solution and LPWAN
compatible fill-level sensors for LoRa and NB-IoT connectivity. Ecube Labs has offices in Seoul and Los
Angeles. Its products and services are available through its distributors and can be seen in major metropolitan
areas around the world.
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Generating Revenue from Waste Management
Dr. Abdul-Sattar Nizami Centre of

Dr. Mohammad Rehan
Excellence in Environmental Studies
Centre of Excellence in
(CEES),
Environmental Studies (CEES),
King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah,
King Abdulaziz University,
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
E-mail: anizami@kau.edu.sa
The energy demand and waste generation have increased significantly in the developing world in the last few
decades with rapid urbanization and population growth. The adequate treatment of the waste or sustainable
waste management is essential not only from a sanitation point of view but also due to its economic and
environmental values including its potential contribution to energy generation in the developing countries.
Many of the developed nations have adopted the approach and strategies of the integrated waste management
system (Figure 1) to maximize the waste-based revenues in the form of energy, fuels, heat, recyclables, value-
added products, and chemicals along with more jobs and business opportunities. As a result, waste is no longer
seen as refuse or discarded material, but an asset or resource to reduce not only the landfill volumes but also
the dependency on fossil fuels by generating clean fuels.
Figure 1. Waste management hierarchy
In Saudi Arabia, the new development policy of Vision 2030 is supporting the maximum diversion of waste
from landfills to material or energy recovery facilities with the production of clean energy and recyclable and
value-added green products (Figure 2). The produced wastes in most of the Saudi cities are rich in organics
such as food waste that is up to 40 -50% of total collected municipal solid waste and plastics which are up to 16-
20 % of total municipal solid waste [1-3]. Therefore, the development of waste to energy or waste biorefinery is
essential as a promising solution for alternative fuels and waste disposal issues along with significant economic
and environmental benefits. Most of the waste produced in Saudi Arabia is disposed to the landfills or dumpsites
without material or energy recovery which may cause several environmental issues. Consequently, the need for
an integrated waste management system, including waste to energy plants, and material recovery facilities is
becoming imperative for the country [4].
Figure 2. Pillars of Saudi Arabian Vision 2030
We have a solid waste research unit, working on the local solid waste issues and their sustainable management,
at the Center of Excellence in Environmental Studies, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia [5-7].
We have recently presented a detailed case study of developing an integrated waste biorefinery in the city of
Makkah in Saudi Arabia, where millions of pilgrims gather each year to perform religious rituals [8]. The waste
to energy technologies (Figure 3) of anaerobic digestion, transesterification, pyrolysis and refuse-derived fuel
were selected based on the city’s waste composition for the proposed integrated waste biorefinery. It is estimated
that the waste biorefinery can treat around 87.8% of the total municipal solid waste, whereas the remaining
12.2% can be recycled at the material recovery facility. Besides the recovery of value-added products and fuels,
the biorefinery can save about US $23.4 million from carbon credits, US $141.4 million from landfill diversion
and US $76.9 million from electricity generation. Moreover, 1.95 million barrels of oil and 11.2 million Mcf
of natural gas can be saved with savings of US $98.3 million and US $3.0 million respectively. Similarly, waste
biorefinery has environmental significance with the total reduction in global warming potential of 1.2 million
Mt.CO2 eq [8].
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Figure 3. Classification of waste to energy technologies
A sustainable waste management must be related to the concerned country by taking into account its socio-
economic situation, local waste sources and its composition along with the availability of markets for the
recovered energy and end-products (Figure 4). Therefore, it is critical to understand that solutions cannot
just be copied from one region and replicated in another country. In fact, all stages of waste management
including waste handling, transportation, and treatment can represent a burden to a country’s environment
and its economics, unless they are balanced with the recovered materials and energy, greenhouse gas emissions
savings and displacement of conventional fossil fuels using life cycle assessment approach.
Figure 4. Achieving circular economy through waste management
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5. R Miandad, MA Barakat, M Rehan, AS

Cited and Recommended Studies Aburiazaiza, IMI Ismail, AS Nizami. 2017. Plastic
waste to liquid oil through catalytic pyrolysis
using natural and synthetic zeolite catalysts.
Waste Management. 69, 66-78.
1. OKM Ouda, SA Raza, AS Nizami, M Rehan,
R Al-Waked, NE Korres. 2016. Waste to
6. M Rehan, R Miandad, IMI Ismail, A Demirbas,
energy potential: A case study of Saudi Arabia.
AS Nizami. 2017. Effect of zeolite catalysts on
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 61,
pyrolysis liquid oil. International Biodeterioration
328–340.
& Biodegradation. 119, 162-175.
2. K Shahzad, AS Nizami, AO BaFail, M Sagir, M
7. M Rehan, J Gardy, A Demirbas, U Rashid, WM
Rehan, S Maier, MZ Khan, OKM Ouda, IMI
Budzianowski, D Pant, AS Nizami. 2017. Waste
Ismail, JM Basahi. 2017. Biodiesel production
to Biodiesel: A Preliminary Assessment for Saudi
potential from fat fraction of municipal waste in
Arabia. Bioresource Technology. DOI: 10.1016/j.
Makkah. PLoS ONE 12(2): e0171297.
biortech.2017.11.024.
3. M Rehan, AS Nizami, K Shahzad, OKM Ouda,
8. AS Nizami, K Shahzad, M Rehan, OKM Ouda,
IMI Ismail, T Almeelbi, T Iqbal, A Demirbas.
MZ Khan, IMI Ismail, A Demirbas. 2017.
2016. Pyrolytic liquid fuel: a source of renewable
Developing waste biorefinery in Makkah: a way
energy in Makkah. Energy Sources, Part A:
forward to convert urban waste into renewable
Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects.
energy. Applied Energy. 186, 189-196.
38(17), 2598-2603.
4. AS Nizami, M Rehan, M Waqas, M Naqvi,

OKM Ouda, K Shahzad, R Miandad, MZ Khan,
M Syamsiro, IMI Ismail, D Pant. 2017. Waste
Biorefineries: Enabling Circular Economies in
Developing Countries. Bioresource Technology.
241,1101-1117.
Waste Management in Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST)
Yousuf Lootah,
Executive Director,
Tourism Development and Investments
Dubai Tourism
As global warming and climate change remain key Globally, environment waste numbers are increasing
challenges that the world urgently needs to find each year. This speaks volumes about the immense
solutions for, there is an urgent call-to-action for each pressure that natural resources and the environment
nation to collectively alter current paths to reduce are under. One of the ‘2017 Sustainable Development
their catastrophic impact on the environment and Goals’ stipulated as part of the United Nation’s ‘2030
increase the likelihood of sustaining natural resources Agenda for Sustainable Development’ is ensuring
for generations to come. Dubai has answered that sustainable consumption and production patterns.
call and is embracing a sustainability model to cater According to United Nations, an estimated one third
to the need for a greener, more environment-friendly of all food produced – equivalent to 1.3 billion tonnes
future. worth around US$1 trillion – is wasted each year.
Dubai, is a city that is growing at an exponential Historically, hospitality players have been blamed
rate, with each industry’s contribution inter-twining for being contributors to environmental waste –
to result in nationwide development and economic power, water, and mainly food wastage. Keeping
growth. The Emirate is also recognised world-over this in mind, Dubai is moving to tackle the issue
for being one of the leading tourism destinations. of food waste with the launch of the UAE Food
With 14.9 million visitors in 2016, and by setting Bank. The initiative, speaheaded by His Highness
ambitious targets of welcoming 20 million visitors in Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, was
2020, tourism has undoubtedly become one of the key announced in January and aims to combat the AED
pillars driving Dubai’s economy. Much like the city, 3.5 billion worth of food discarded in the city every
Dubai’s hospitality industry is experiencing steady year by either distributing to the needy or recycling
progress, and the growing influence of the city’s in an environmentally friendly manner.
tourism and leisure sectors are major contributors to
the industry’s evolution and success. Carbon emissions and food wastage remain some of
the biggest barriers to managing sustainable tourism.
Consequently, it is no surprise that both tourism This is why Dubai Tourism has developed a long-
and hospitality play critical roles in achieving our term ‘Dubai Sustainable Tourism’ strategy which acts
sustainability goals. The growth of these sectors, as a roadmap to ensure that the city continuously
translates into a crucial responsibility that each of remains at the forefront in terms of sustainable
its stakeholders have - to ensure we create a more tourism. The mandate is to enhance the sustainability
sustainable environment for residents and visitors of the tourism sector, therefore positively impacting
alike. Furthermore, as travellers and residents alike interconnected industries within the city, and
become more conscious about the environment and contributing towards achieving overall sustainable
are steering towards brands that are meeting their development targets by the year 2021.
‘green’ expectations, hospitality establishments are
now having to cater to this environmentally-aware
segment of visitors.
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Ultimately, part of the responsibility also lies with hotels and people that are driving environmental
tourism boards and governing authorities to create awareness and are adopting tangible measures to
the right framework to ensure that steps are taken ensure enhanced sustainability within the tourism
to substantially reduce wastage, therefore lowering sector. The awards featured 20 different categories;
the overall negative impact a city or country has 13 main awards targeted towards hospitality
on the environment and its natural resources. DST establishments, and seven special awards that
works with a broad range of hospitality partners, recognise the efforts of the leaders and individuals
government bodies, non-profit organisations and who truly embody the sustainability principles of
environmental groups to successfully implement DST in the market place. All award submissions
relevant programmes, while collaborating to achieve were required to demonstrate a sustainable and
a common goal of making Dubai one of the world’s progressive approach towards waste management
leading sustainable tourism destinations. within their establishment.
DST’s strategy includes the development and roll- While DST continues to lay the groundwork to
out of tools that tourism and hospitality stakeholders create a sustainable future, it is equally imperative
can use to measure the impact and effectiveness of for stakeholders to keep the conversation alive and
sustainable tourism initiatives. These include four continue to educate the public about the importance
inter-linked pillars around Awareness & Education; of every little contribution, which collectively goes a
Performance Measurement; Industry Awards and long way. Therefore, an important aspect of ensuring
Industry Standards. that the sustainable tourism strategy works is public-
private partnerships. It’s important for the industry
Each of the four pillars have a focus on waste to work together to identify action plans to achieve
management at their core. For example, in 2017 DST sustainable tourism goals.
issued the ’12 Steps Towards Sustainability Guideline’
to hotels across Dubai. This practical guide consists Through the strategies and tools described above,
of 12 simple steps that any hotel in Dubai can adopt DST is harnessing its stakeholder relationships and
to improve their sustainability levels and enhance educating the industry on sustainability issues. By
their green credentials. The aim of the guideline is to issuing city-wide guidelines and training tools, DST
advise hospitality professionals on the best practices can recommend strategies and procedures that can
for hotels, regardless of size and operational structure, be implemented by hotels thereby mobilise change to
on a number of topics including waste management. be implemented across the industry.
This year DST also implemented The Carbon To sum up, as the travel and tourism sector continues
Calculator, an automated tool that measures the to be a key pillar of economic growth in the UAE,
carbon footprint arising due to operations in Dubai’s it is imperative for the industry to come together to
hotel industry. It forms part of the Tourism Dirham identify common challenges and roll out initiatives
(TD) industry platform; all Dubai hotels have that can effectively resolve any issues. Dubai will
access to it and it is mandatory for each property undeniably play an instrumental role in shaping the
to submit activity and data on their emissions on a way forward for sustainable tourism, and if history is
monthly basis, including details on the amount of any indication, the city will work tirelessly to achieve
waste sent to landfill sites without recycling. Once the targets set, ensuring a cleaner, greener tomorrow
the information has been inputted, the calculator is right around the corner.
analyses the results, estimating the carbon footprint
of hotels. This will allow DST to develop strategies
for the hotel sector such as increasing the efficiency
of managing resources and ultimately mitigating
climate change
In addition, 2017 saw the inauguration of the Dubai

Sustainable Tourism Awards. These recognised the
Current Status and Future Challenges in the

Municipal Waste Management
Dr. Zelal Jaber

Dr. Yassen Alfoteih
Research fellow of cellular
Head of department of public health
medicine institute.
and health sciences.
Newcastle Upon Tyne
Canadian university Dubai.
University – UK
The concept of waste management is relatively recent. Just a couple decades ago, individuals were responsible
for discarding their waste. The discard was too primitive and uncontrolled whereby each one was dumping the
waste carelessly into the environment without thinking about the consequences. It is well known that humans
are the principal factor for breaking the ecological diversity balance. At the same time, people dislike waste
but they deny being the main contributors to the problem. In addition to that, waste treatment management
is always accompanied with risk. The risk won’t only target workers involved directly in waste management,
but even those who are living around. Our planet is hurtling toward urbanization; however parallel increase in
municipal solid waste (MSW) is recorded (Fig. 1). The policies and solutions proposed by governmental and
private sectors will always be in question if they don’t take the health and safety issues of the biosphere into
consideration. The conventional ways of treatment which includes disposal, reduction, recycling, segregation
and modification has not developed that much over the past 200 years, at least not at the level of population
growth development. The problem of waste disposal is not confined only to developing countries. Even so
called “less developed” countries show an increase in the amount of solid waste production.
Fig.1: Daniel et al - Nature Oct. 2013
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The puzzle is easy to be solved; there is more growth of urbanization in developing countries than in developed
countries. The growth in urbanization in the developing countries is coupled with the growth of population
living in urban areas. Hence, this will increase the domestic waste. On a global level, urbanization is causing the
“Urban Island Effect” which is heating the environment causing agriculture to suffer, producing more waste,
emission and pollution and finally creating global warming that will touch every single person on this planet
(Image. A).
(Image. A): Atlanta, Georgia, showing temperature distribution, with blue showing cool temperatures,
red warm and hot areas appear white. NASA - NASA
MSW includes the subset of materials referred to municipal solid waste plus other types of waste discarded
by households; waste from restaurants and hotels and from commercial and industrial entities. Such MSW
is considered to be problematic to the environment and public health if it not properly managed. Worldwide,
a numerous quantity of hazardous / toxicant is produced. A pollutant or toxicant is defined as a substance
that is present in the environment, at least in part as a result of an anthropogenic discharge from industrial,
agricultural or domestic activities, and has a deleterious effect on living organisms. In general, a pollutant
may cause an adverse effect on a living organism through (1) disruption or destruction of cellular structure;
(2) direct chemical combination with a cell constituent and (3) its influence on enzyme function. It is very
important here to mention that we know too little information about the health impact of these toxicants
produced by human activities. The developed world produced huge amount of toxic material and toxic waste.
However, they it has developed a new strategy to liberate its ecology systems from toxic wastes by shipping
them overseas to developing countries against payment. The main public health concern here is that, the vast
majority of these developing nations are weak in terms of waste treatment. They have inadequate facilities and
the lack of expertise for safe disposal. They have limited resources and fast falling apart infrastructure. Another
related common problem is the absence of active and all-inclusive legislative frameworks governing the solid
waste sector. This is a good example of the bad practice that may produce corruptions at different levels.
Solid wastes generated by developing countries are to a large extent decomposable and recyclable. Hence, there
is an opportunity for socioeconomic development with a rational usage of the resources (Fig. 2)
Fig.2: Major Toxic Waste Exporters and Major Toxic Waste Receiver
Municipal solid waste in the Middle East is made of organic fraction, paper, glass, plastics, metals and wood
which can be managed by making use of recycling, composting and/or waste-to-energy technologies.
For example, Egypt with a 95 million of populations produces almost 75 % of its entire Municipal Solid Waste
(MSW) in urban areas. Total estimated MSW for 2025 is expected to reach 33 million tons for a growth
rate of 3.2% based on 2001 records. However, the collection processes and recycling could be more efficient.
Likewise, the standing in many other developing countries (i.e. Syria, Lebanon) is not much different and
need to be improved. In the GCC and in particular in Saudi Arabia, approximately 15 million tons of garbage
is produced each year. With an approximate population of about 29 million, the country generates more than
15 million tons of solid waste per year. The per capita waste generation is estimated at 1.5 to 1.8 kg per person
per day. Bahrain generates more than 1.5 million tons of municipal waste every year. Countries like Kuwait,
Bahrain have a higher per capita waste generation rate, primarily because of high standard of living and lack of
awareness about sustainable waste management practices. (Fig. 3).
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Fig.3 : Solid waste generated in different Gulf countries.
In the UAE in 2013, 11.8 million tons of non- It is obvious that the main problems facing
hazardous solid waste was generated in Abu Dhabi, developing countries are in modeling a sustainable
not including waste that was generated and discarded solution for solid waste and the lack of adequate
illegally. Out of the 2013 total, 27% was recycled, administrative and financial resources. However, it
3.9% was composted and 68.8% was sent to landfills is worthy to state that there are no magic solutions
or dump-sites. In Dubai, Waste Management that treat different dimensions of solid waste
Department in Dubai municipality compiled the problems. The governmental sectors usually operate,
“Dubai Integrated Waste Management Master Plan observe and audit the entire process of solid waste
in 2012” with an aim to reduce the amount of waste management. Such management style will weaken
being sent to the landfills to zero in 20 years by using market mechanisms and reduce the positive impact
an integrated and innovative approach. of competition. Another important weakness is the
legislative framework which governs SWM and the
To use municipal solid waste, different conventional enforcement of laws which needs to be probably
technologies such as incineration, mass-burn and implemented. Furthermore, well versed information/
landfill gas capture have been used. At the landfill data is a problem for solid waste business in the
sites, the gas produced as an end product of microbes region. In fact, there are many factors which make
and natural decomposition of MSW. The gas will data harvesting from governmental authorities an
be collected and then after injected into internal issue. For instance, many solid waste departments
combustion engines or gas turbines to generate heat work under the umbrella of governmental sector such
and power. as municipalities. A municipality is a governmental
body which deals with endless services. All – under – one – roof approach which lead to administrative
complexity and less productivity. However, other unusual factors like civil war in some developing countries
like Syria and Iraq should be considered as well when we are discussing solid management challenges in the
region.
To conclude, the main objectives of any waste treatment procedures are to protect the health of the inhabitants,
to promote an environmental friendly community, to control diseases, to produce cheaper energy and to
develop sustainability. To meet these goals, sustainable solid waste management systems must be adopted
fully by governmental authorities and incorporated by th private sector. Although in developing countries the
quantity of solid waste generated in urban areas is low compared with industrialized countries, the MSW still
remains inadequate. Therefore, the following roadmap should be used to have a healthier environment and an
optimal waste management system:
1. Research is required concerning how environmental impact of solid waste can be controlled and how
domestic waste can be successfully used.
2. Education and awareness, as waste management is affected mainly by consumer behavior
3. The endorsement of the “Waste Management Bill”, which will create an enabling environment
for enforcement and will provide a legal framework within which environmental impact can be
implemented
4. Development of waste management practice at all levels of government (i.e administration model,
monitoring and enforcement of instruments and of illegal dumping).
5. Waste licensing and managing data ( local , regional or even global waste information system)
6. Waste management should be under separated management bodies to fasten the growth in this
important service sector.
7. Implementing an integrated sustainable solid waste management approach which will mitigate any
adverse impacts on the environment, natural resources, and the public health.
Reference
1. I. Richards, 2008: Principles and practice of toxicology, 2008.
2. J. Moreno, F. Rios, I. Lardinois, 1999: Solid waste management in Latin America: the role of micro- and small enterprises and
co-operatives. IPES/ACEPESA/WASTE. Urban Waste Series 5
3. R. Friis, 2012: essentials of environmental health, second edition 2012
4. UAE Ministry of Energy2006Initial National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change, United Arab Emirates
5. United Nations Development Program1990: Human Development Report 1990, UNDP Publications
6. United Nations 2010: The Millennium Development Goals Report 2010”, United Nations Publications
7. United Nations Development Program2010: Human Development Report 2010”, UNDP
8. World Health Organization1995: Solid Waste Management in Some Countries-Environmental Dimensions of Waste Disposal,
WHO Publications, 1995.
9. World Health Organization2010: World Health Statistics 2010”, WHO Publications
10. World Health Organization2010: Accelerating progress towards the health-related Millennium Development Goals, WHO
Publication, WHO/GGO/2010.2.
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Sustainable Municipal Waste Management

Integrated municipal waste management for Aramco Refinery in Jazan
Economic city
Sepco Environment
Jeddah – Saudi Arabia
http://www.sepcoenvironment.com/home/
Sustainable Waste Management is crucial to Achieving Environmental Sustainability in Arab Cities, without
Sustainable waste management Programs, we can’t build sustainable and livable cities. Sustainable Waste
Management Constitutes an Effective Approach for Controlling Material Flows in the Industrial and Economic
Systems in our cities and Contributes to Preserving Energy and Natural Resources such as minerals and ores,
fossil fuels, soil, water and biological resources, land, atmosphere and ecosystems by increasing resource
productivity, reducing material throughputs, and reusing & recycling materials to such a degree that depletion
of natural Resources is minimized and ecosystem services are maintained. Ultimately leading to Environment
Protection and achieving Sustainable Development Goals.
Waste Management Project for Jazan Refinery is a practical Example of integrated waste management
practices that was implemented in one of the leading strategic projects South KSA. In Middle of 2015; SEPCO
Environment has developed and implemented an integrated waste management plan for Jazan Refinery and
Marine Terminal construction Project. The plan was designed to provide integrated waste management solutions
to the new project and to improve waste management efficiency through implementation of Sustainable Waste
Management Program and Best Practical Environmental Options, waste minimization, source segregation and
material recycling, Efficient resource utilization, and environmental awareness program, To alleviate resource
use, waste generation, Diverting waste from disposal in landfills and incinerators, redirecting recyclable
recovered resources to manufacturing processes, Redirecting usable materials to appropriate industrial
systems, Energy and Natural Resources Conservation and Recovery, Preventing pollution by reducing the
need to collect new raw materials; Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and Mitigate global climate change,
Mitigate environmental impacts and promoting sustainability practices in this vital sector.
The environmental awareness program was developed as one of the most important factors necessary to ensure
that all concerned parties comply with the implementation of sorting and recycling programs. An integrated
environmental awareness program has been developed based on sustainable environmental management of
municipal waste, construction waste and demolition.
The project consists of Major milestones including technical, environmental, geotechnical, topographical
and design studies, building of a central integrated municipal waste management complex, development and
implementation of an integrated plan for collection, transport, sorting, treatment and recycling of municipal
waste and construction and demolition waste for 5 years.
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The technical studies included the technical and engineering design, technical and construction specifications of
the municipal solid waste management complex, the construction and demolition waste management complex
as well as the construction, operation and closure plans and environmental monitoring plans, integrated
environmental studies to assess the expected environmental impacts of the project and the environmental
contingency plans. Evaluation of project impacts, mitigation and monitoring procedures to reduce the
environmental impacts of the project, collection of data and information on the location and activity of the
project, implementation of geotechnical studies, topographic survey, climate study, water and energy sources,
study of natural life in the surrounding area, Emissions or pollutants and to identify methods and processes for
the treatment of environmental pollutants according to the highest international environmental standards. An
integrated complex for the management of municipal solid waste was constructed on a total area of 1.200.000
square meters, including a municipal waste management center, one for Construction and demolition waste,
areas for future expansion. The existing complex includes many facilities including geometrical cells lined in
accordance with the highest International environmental standards, A waste recycling and recycling center
for waste disposal and waste disposal, construction waste management center with a capacity of 100,000 cubic
meters, a center for sorting and recycling of Recyclable municipal waste with operational capacity 400 tons per
day, Landfill Leachate collection and treatment system, surface water collection ponds to protect the complex
against flood and rain hazards, Landfill gas collection system. Central Maintenance Center, Equipment Washing
and Sterilization Center, Waste Reception and Weighting Center. Project administrative buildings.
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Generating Revenue And Economic Development

From Waste Management
Manuel Hidalgo
Technical & Business Advisor
NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION CO. (BeeA’h)
Madinat Al-Jubail Al-Sinaiyah— Saudi Arabia
Email: manuel@beeah.com | Web: www.beeah.com
1. INTRODUCTION - The Problem
We live in a society producing huge amounts of all kind of wastes as a result of the different human activities.
According to the World Bank, in 2012 world cities generated about 1.3 billion metric tons (MT) per year of
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). This volume is expected to increase to 2.2 billion MT by 2025, or over 6 million
MT per day. Regarding to industrial wastes, Frost & Sullivan estimated in a report published in 2011 a global
generation of some 9.2 billion MT/year, including construction and demolition wastes.
Increased globalization and a surge in population and Gross Domestic Product (GDP), among others, have led
to an increase in the overall waste volume globally. Waste generation rates will more than double over the next
twenty years in lower income countries. The figure below shows the total worldwide solid waste generation and
projections for 2025 by region:
Figure 1: waste generation in 2012 and projections for 2025 by region. Source: World Bank
The World Bank defines waste as “unwanted materials left over from any human activity”. The European
Framework Directive on Waste defines waste as "any substance or object which the holder discards or intends
or is required to discard". It may be generated during the extraction or the processing of raw materials into
intermediate and final products, the consumption of final products, or other human activities.
Wastes can be classified according to their nature or original condition (solid, liquid), source of generation
(municipal, industrial, healthcare, etc.) and/or magnitude of hazard (hazardous, non-hazardous). To simplify
it, wastes can be classified in two main categories:
• Household and municipal wastes: wasted food, plastics, paper & cardboard, cans, glass, metal,
clothes, agricultural wastes, cleaning products, etc.
• Industrial and hazardous wastes: those generated from activities such as oil & gas, petrochemicals,
mining, metalurgy, cars manufacturing, electronic industry, service activities, chemical industry,
construction and demolition, healthcare, etc.
While developing countries have made significant progress since the 1990s, there are still 2 billion people
without access to solid waste collection. This has become an enormous environmental and public health
problem as most of the wastes are potentially harmful for the human health and the environment, contributing
to the global warming at some extent.
2. What to do with the wastes – The Solution
In many countries, wastes are just simply being collected from different places where are generated, and
disposed in authorized and controlled facilities. In some of these countries, incineration is the main treatment
method. Landfilling is still widely used in developing countries as final disposal to all kind of wastes. And just
a tiny fraction of the total wastes generated are being recycled and/or reused.
Figures 2 and 3: illegal solid wastes dumping sites. Source: Waste Cap News (2013)
Unfortunately, there are still a large number of illegal and uncontrolled dumping sites across the world. These
places are causing significat health and environmental problems: gastrointestinal and respiratory infections,
particularly in children; severe land pollution and freshwater, groundwater and sea pollution; local air pollution
and climate change.
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What can we do with the wastes? The nature and diverse composition of wastes make their management and
disposal a quite complex subject, requiring specialized professionals and equipment.
At the same time, many scientific research studies have proven that in waste management prevention is at the
top of the so-called waste management hierarchy and represents the preferred policy approach to materials
management, and an alternative to reduce the wastage of materials or resources as shown in figure 4 below:
Figure 4: desirable hierarchy of waste management options. Source: WEE Technology (2017)
The US-EPA, EU-Waste

Framework Directive and other
countries have already adopted
this policy and the results
are tangible. While the best
option is the avoidance of waste
generation, the reduction, reuse,
recycling and recovery (4R) are
valid options that can generate
useful applications and economic
benefits.
Today there are enough available

technologies at affordable prices
to collect, treat, recycle, reuse,
recover and dispose wastes
in many different ways. The
processes have systematically been
improved and automatized and Figure 5: plasma technology applied to waste recycling. Source:
new technologies have appeared www.plasmawastedisposal.com
in the market to treat and dispose
any type of waste.
Moreover, the market trend is clearly going in the direction of the 4R due to socio-economic, environmental
and technical reasons. This is clearly triggering the technological innovation in the waste management sector:
companies are investing more in research, development and innovation and new and innovative processes
are being offered to transform wastes into valuable materials. As a simple example, figure 5 below shows the
possibilities of the plasma technology for waste recycling:
Obviously, the choice of the appropriate technology will depend on the nature of the waste, the environmental
regulations as well as the available budget. Of course, the more sophisticated the technology the more costly is.
3. Generating revenue from the waste management – The Business
The need for solid waste management has increased market was valued at US$25.32 billion in 2013 and
largely at a global scale. Logically, the management of it is expected to maintain its steady growth to 2023,
wastes has a cost. In most of the cases the cost is high when it is estimated it would be worth US$40 billion.
as this activity normally requires high investments in
equipment and is intensive in manpower and other
operation costs like energy, consumables, spare parts,
and others. Therefore, costs of waste management
are expected to increase drastically worldwide.
Globally, solid waste management costs will increase

from today’s annual $205.4 billion to about $375.5
billion in 2025. Cost increases will be most severe in
low income countries (more than 5-fold increases)
and lower-middle income countries (more than
4-fold increases.
Figure 6: global solid waste management
The global solid waste management market is market in USD. Source: Conferenceseries.com
expected to increase to $1,296.04 billion in 2022. (2017)
At the same time, the global waste to energy (WtE)
Wastes could be cost-effective resources, as they might contain components that can be appropriately used if
the right means are employed. Simply think the amount of energy and resources spent on manufacturing and
processing any kind of goods or producing commodities like electricity, potable water, petrol, etc. It is easy to
imagine that at least part of this energy and resources can be recovered from the wastes generated.
How it can be revenue generated from the wastes? Luckily, this question has more than one answer. Any
waste management activity can be a profitable business by employing the right people, having the appropriate
technology and equipment and, an efficient and proper management. The employment of people is a primary
contribution to the socioeconomic development anywhere.
On the other hand, the recovery, reuse and recycling of wastes can generate great benefits, both socioeconomic
and environmental. There are so many examples of successful stories in the sector, generating enormous
revenues and substantial benefits. For example, last November 2017 Suez bagged a contract of worth Euro
130 Million. As per the contract, Suez will provide services to recover and recycle 50,000 MT of municipal
mixed solid waste along with 4,000 MT of organic waste collected from Northern Beaches Council in Sidney
(Australia). This initiative will convert the dumped landfill waste into standardized compost for agricultural
use.
A Magazine for the

44
4. The Circular Economy & Zero Waste To Landfill – The Future
What are the next steps? Or, what we should do next

to maximize the benefits of managing wastes? The • Biological materials: those that can be
answer is a catchy phrase called ‘circular economy’. reintroduced back into the biosphere in a
This expression was first used by Walter Stahel, who restorative manner without harm or waste
also coined the expression ‘from cradle to cradle’. (i.e.: they breakdown naturally), and,
• Technical materials, which can be

According to Stahel, in an ideal cradle-to-cradle (or continuously re-used without harm or
closed- loop/circular) system, waste would not exist waste.
because waste would be seen as an asset in transition
and be used as a raw material. In other words, when
a well-designed product reaches the end of its useful A circular economy is an alternative to a traditional
linear economy (make, use, dispose) in which we
keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract
the maximum value from them whilst in use, then
recover and regenerate products and materials at the
end of each service life.
Why a circular economy is important? As well as

creating new opportunities for growth, a more
circular economy will: reduce waste, drive greater
resource productivity, deliver a more competitive
worldwide economy, position any country to better
address emerging resource security/scarcity issues in
the future and help reduce the environmental impacts
of production and consumption in the world.
5. A FINAL WORD
Figure 7: circular economy paradigm. Source: In our daily activities, we all generate all type of wastes.
Veolia (2015) Wastes are something that nobody wants to see or
even think about it: they have an ugly appearance,
bad smell most of the time, are dangerous in many
life it would be returned to its manufacturer to be cases, etc. But they do exist and we can’t just simply
reused, repaired or remanufactured to facilitate job ignore them and hide our head in a hole like an
creation, reduce waste and further its profit potential, ostrich. The wastes won’t disappear and the problem
as shown in figure 7 below: will still be there.
The term ‘circular economy’ is a concept used to
describe a zero-waste industrial economy that profits The costs of inaction are extremely high to our health
from two types of material inputs: and environment, as we mentioned previously. We
need to change our mindset to understand that by
reducing, reusing and recycling wastes we are not only
contributing to a better and greener environment but
we are also saving precious non renewable resources.
Inaction is not an option anymore.
Today it is relatively easy to get an economic benefit from the waste management activities. “Garbage is money”
is not a new mantra. We all know that there is a lot of added value in most of the things we throw away after
using them. Today, with the available technologies, it is possible to recycle almost any waste we produce. It is
just a matter of consciousness, education since childhood, media campaigns, support from governments and
attractive and profitable investments schemes.
The industry around the waste management sector is creating jobs and business opportunities, and is going to
grow substantially in the next years. Many big, medium and small size companies are competing in this market,
offering an array of services and employing an important number of professionals having different expertise.
The previous paragraphs made clear (hopefully) that today, almost in 2018, it is possible to reduce, treat,
recover, recycle/reuse and dispose any waste by simply applying the appropriate technology and the requested
funds. Moreover, the management and recycling of wastes can bring notable socioeconomic benefits while
being a very lucrative business.
The future is brilliant, very promising. Please, think twice before throwing anything to the trash bin. Don’t
waste your wastes anymore!
A Magazine for the

Hussain Abdulla AlFardan
Director of the Environmental Center for Arab Towns.
Education and Eco- Consciousness a true Partnership between

Generations for a Safer and Sustainable Future
As we living on a planet which we inherited its environmental impacts from
our ancestors. And as we enjoyed the bounties of this generous planet, and
since there are people who attended those natural resources perfectly, thus,
it is the right of all future generations to attain the warmth of the earth and
enjoy its abundances.
It is our responsibility to cooperate to live on this planet, we ought to take this

option, otherwise we shall perish together without any other choice.
Thus, the matter of education and environmental consciousness in term of
values, is trust and commitment And on national level, is a responsibility and
partnership And at the level of social relations community, is committing to
an accountable social behavior
At this stage, we notice that all the parties involved in the environmental
sense are striving hard to deliver a pure vision of all segments of the society
conveying the message that (we are all in the same boat)
Consequently, we notice that all government organizations and departments,

business sectors as well as the educational institutions are all working hand
in hand to rephrase and reshape the relationship between man and its
environment, in order to establish rational ecological behavior that draws
upon education and environmental awareness as its sustainable approach
The children and youth shall have the biggest share of attention, as they are
the vanguard bearing the huge burden, and as they inherited a legacy that
they did not choose nor participated, and as they are the inheritors of massive
challenges accumulated by generation of negligence.
Education and eco -consciousness is a trust........ Deliver it to others
The Environmental Center for Arab Towns is pleased to invite the professionals and interested
persons in environmental issues to send their articles that we believe will enrich the Envirocities
e-Magazine and helps raise environmental awareness and education. Please send your
contribution to nedalma@dm.gov.ae or ecat@dm.gov.ae.

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Issue 19, January 2018

A Magazine for the Environmental Center for Arab Towns

H.E. Eng. Hussain Nassir Lootah

Protection of the environment issue from pollution and

Smart and Sustainable Current Status and Future

Sharjah’s Path to Resource Sustainable Municipal

Ecological Urban Waste

Generating Revenue from

A Magazine for the

Circular Economy: Transforming Burden to Bounty

Prof. Dr. Peter Heck,

1. Waste: A Universal Burden

Figure 1: Complexity of waste and its overlapping classifications,

GLOBAL POPULATION MSW PER CAPITA MSW PER ANNUM

2012 3.0 1.2 1.3

2025 4.3 1.42 2.2

Table 1: Trends in global MSW generation

A Magazine for the

In light of that, incineration of MSW is promoted

ARGUMENT CASE IN POINT

ARGUMENT CASE IN POINT

3. Waste-to-Resources: A Paradigm Shift

A Magazine for the

4. Burden to Bounty: A German Experience

Figure 3: Waste-to-resources in Circular Economy, [Graphic Source: IfaS, 2017]

A Magazine for the

5. Find out more at: https://www.umwelt-campus.de/ucb/index.php?id=home&L=1 and http://www.stoffstrom.org/en/

Smart and Sustainable Waste Management in Dubai

Eng. Abdulmajeed Abdulaziz Saifaie

A Magazine for the

II. Current Initiatives

1. Smart Sustainability Oasis 2. Smart Gate System (Nafith)

3. Bigbelly Waste Containers

4. Vehicle Tracking System (Rasid)

A Magazine for the

6. Underground Waste Compactors

A Magazine for the

Sharjah’s Path to Resource Recovery: A Paradigm Shift in Waste

Mr. Daker Rabaya

in landfills. If left untreated, this will not only

When dealing with the issue of waste, proper disposal

The primary aim of waste processing and treatment

A Magazine for the

Bee’ah’s Material Recovery Facility (MRF) is the

Towards Smarter Waste Management with the Internet of Things

Sensors, trackers and a cloud platform

A Magazine for the

Because of the ability to monitor fill-levels, collections

A Magazine for the

Generating Revenue from Waste Management

Dr. Abdul-Sattar Nizami Centre of

Figure 1. Waste management hierarchy

Figure 2. Pillars of Saudi Arabian Vision 2030

A Magazine for the

Figure 3. Classification of waste to energy technologies

Figure 4. Achieving circular economy through waste management

A Magazine for the

5. R Miandad, MA Barakat, M Rehan, AS

4. AS Nizami, M Rehan, M Waqas, M Naqvi,

Waste Management in Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST)

A Magazine for the

In addition, 2017 saw the inauguration of the Dubai

Current Status and Future Challenges in the