Recycling in the UAE Recycling is the process of converting waste into reusable material.

Recycling options for waste are growing in UAE. Plastic bottles are one kind of item that is being recycled in UAE. Plastic bottles, e.g. soda and water bottles are one of the easiest and most common kinds of plastic to recycle. It is made of PETE (polyethylene terephthalate). After plastic bottles are processed at the recycling plant, PETE can be re-used to make many other products. The basic process for recycling plastic bottles is: 1. Collection PET bottles are thrown away by people into recycle bins, and become waste. This waste is collected by recycling companies. 2. Sorting - PET bottles are separated from other plastic items, their caps are removed, and they are sorted into different colours: transparent or uncoloured, blue and green coloured PET, and the remainder into mixed colours. 3. Treatment - The treatment process includes: Crushing: After sorting, PET waste is crushed/ chopped into small pieces and chunks, and pressed into bales. Washing/ cleaning: to remove debris like paper labels, dirt, dust that was inside the bottles. Sorting and Melting: after washed and dried, the plastic pieces are sorted and melted and compressed into tiny pellets, which are ready to re-use and convert into new and completely different products. 4. Packaging final products are packed and distributed.

Source: Tatweer Plastic Recycling & Manufacturing, 2012

There are many companies that are helping towards recycling plastic bottles in UAE. Some of these companies that recycle plastic bottles are as follows: Masafi - Through its Corporate Recycling Programme, Masafi collects all plastic bottles (irrespective of brand) for free from companies with more than 200 employees. Masafi puts the recycling bins at the company location, and visit periodically for collection. Then, the collected plastic bottles are cleaned and crushed in Masafi's pre-processing unit and recycled in Fujairah into non-food packaging products. Al Tatweer Industries (Plastic recycling plant) - Discarded PET bottles are collected, baled and delivered to the PET Recycling Plant, where they are color sorted, washed, granulated, re-washed, crushed and cut into recycled PET pellets. These pellets are then used all over the world to manufacture many new products. Averda ReVa (reverse vending machines) have been placed in Tecom business parks in Dubai so users can exchange plastic bottles and aluminium cans in return Air Miles loyalty rewards. After collecting the recyclables from the machine, Averda segregates them according to type, sorts, and transfers them to their recycling facilities. Centre of Waste Management & Emirates Environmental Technology Co Ltd. Plastic Recycling Plant (PRP) - collect municipal solid waste from Al-Ain including plastic bottles. Other plastic recycling companies are: Al Owais Plastic Recycling FZE,
Beeah in Sharjah, and Al Ghori Plastic Recycling Factory in Umm Al Quwain.

References (1): 1. http://environment.about.com/od/earthtalkcolumns/a/recycleplastics.htm 2. Tatweer Plastic Recycling & Manufacturing, 2012, http://tprmuae.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7&Itemid=7 3. http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/masafi-launches-water-bottle-recyclingscheme-1.649673 4. http://www.averda.com/services/9/ReVa.html

Final Products after Recycling Plastic Bottles

Plastic bottles that have the PETE 1 symbol are easy and less expensive to recycle than other plastic materials. This is because they are more lightweight, flexible and durable than other plastic products. These plastic bottles include: Soft drink, and water bottles; mouthwash
Source: The Daily Green, 2013

bottles, vegetable oil containers, etc.

There are limitless numbers of products that can be made from recycling plastic bottles. Each recycling company in the UAE produces their own products from recycled plastic bottles: Tatweer Plastic Recycling & Manufacturing produces a variety of products from recycled plastic bottles. From the Textile Industry: Fiber & Fabric for Polyester Carpets, T-shirts, Long Underwear, Athletic Shoes, Luggage, Upholstery and Sweaters, Fiberfill for Sleeping Bags and Winter Coats. General Industrial usage: Industrial Strapping, Sheet and Film, Automotive parts, Luggage Racks, Headliners, Fuse Boxes, Bumpers, Grilles and Door Panels. Geotextiles (road stabilization), Ceiling insulation, Timber products, Food & beverages: PET containers for both food and non-food products. Masafi recycles all the plastic bottles they collect to make egg trays, and detergent bottles. Al Ghori Plastic Recycling Factory recycles plastic bottles to make many products, for example, Body Bags, Dry Cleaner Film, Bin/ Carton Liners, Printed or Plain Carry & Singlet Bags, Poly Bags, Magic seal bags, Plastic straps, Container Lids, Squeeze bottles, Adhesives & Sealants, Wire & Cable Coverings, Shrink Wrap and Stretch Film, Coatings for Paper Milk Cartons, Shipping Envelopes, etc.

Some of Al Ghori Plastic Recycling Factory products are shown below:

Source: http://www.alghoriplastic.com/porducts.html

Centre of Waste Management & Emirates Environmental Technology Co Ltd - The Plastic Recycling Plant (PRP) in Al Ain recycles plastic bottles to finished products (plastic granules) which are used to make containers, bottles, crates, bins, plastic bags, dustpans, construction materials, etc. Other industries can also mix these plastic granules with other materials to manufacture goods. Beeah uses PETE plastic to make Hexagon and Square-Z designed pavers, jogging tracks, and computers. Some of the other useful products that can be made from recycled plastic bottles are: Bean Bags, Rope, Car Bumpers, Tennis Ball Felt, Combs, Cassette Tapes, Sails for Boats, and Furniture. Also, eco-friendly clothing can be made from recycled plastic bottles. One example of a company doing this is DGRADE, their clothing can be found in Ski Dubais retail shop. References (2)
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. http://www.emiratesrecycling.com/recycling http://www.alghoriplastic.com/porducts.htm http://www.beeah-uae.com/content/beeah-commercial-products-materials http://www.recycle-dubai.com/index-8.html http://www.ameinfo.com/recycled-plastic-bottles-hip-urban-wear-315348 Howard, Brian, 2013, What Do Recycling Symbols on Plastics Mean?, The Daily Green, available at: http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/recycling-symbols-plastics460321#slide-1

Advantages of Recycling Plastic Bottles Plastic is not bio-degradable. It takes 100 to 1000 years for plastic to naturally degrade. Because of this, the main benefit of recycling plastic bottles is to help conserve our environment. Recycling plastic bottles also helps: 1. Save Energy: recycling plastic bottles can save a large amount of energy. Recycling a plastic bottle saves enough energy to light a 60W light bulb for six hours. 2. Protect our Natural resources: Recycling allows the same plastic bottles to be used over and over again for different products so that new resources do not need to be exploited. Natural resources like water, oil, coal, gas, timber, etc. can be saved through recycling. 3. Reduce Pollution: through recycling plastic bottles, there is less usage of energy, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and less air and water pollution. Also, recycling allow people to care more about the environment, and to know more about greener technology, and the use of renewable energy sources like wind, water, and solar. All these activities reduce pollution. 4. Reuse into variety of products: Many people think that the plastic bottles are transformed exactly into similar bottles but in reality plastic bottles can be recycled and used to make a variety of different products that can be useful for the society and the economy. 5. Save our Landfills: As the population grows, it will become difficult for the landfills to hold so much trash. Plastic bottles occupy a lot of space in the landfills, and are not degradable. Recycling can help decrease landfills, and reduce land pollution. 6. Employment opportunities: recycling is a large industry. Thousands of workers are needed and are employed for the recycling industry. An advantage to recycling is that it creates more jobs in the community.

Difficulties / challenges with Recycling Plastic Bottles Collection - compared to glass, paper, and metallic products, plastic is a more challenging material to recycle. There are many different kinds of plastic, with different weights, and textures. Different kinds of plastic require different processing methods when recycling. So, it is necessary to separate plastic depending on its different qualities. It takes time and money to sort the plastic bottles and separate these from the other waste products. Often, recycling companies find it challenging to find and collect the right amount of plastic materials. Environment Awareness most consumers in the UAE are not aware about the importance of recycling. It is said only 3% of plastic in the UAE is recycled. Also, many residents who see the recycle bins at their homes or around the city are confused about which one of them is for recycling. Many are not disposing of the waste in the right bins, which reduces the worth of the reusable material. There needs to be more campaigns, and awareness sessions to educate consumers about recycling. Technology and expertise There are many techniques involved in the recycling process. In order to be efficient, recycling plastic bottles requires the latest technology, expertise and the right skills. Cost there are big costs involved in the recycling process. There are different kinds and sizes of machinery and equipment required for recycling plastic bottles. These machines are costly to purchase and maintain. Also, there are costs in finding and collection, and transporting plastic bottles to the plant. Absence of government support there is not many developed rules and regulations regarding recycling in UAE. The government has to provide some incentive, education, and legislation to encourage people to recycle.
References (3): 1. http://practicalaction.org/docs/technical_information_service/recycling_plastics.pdf 2. Conserve Energy Future, 2013, Are Benefits of Recycling Worth All The Effort?, retrieved on 12 July, 2013, available at: http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/benefits-ofrecycling.php 3. http://www.thenational.ae/topic/subjects/recycling-in-the-uae 4. http://plasticbaglaws.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/industry_EurekaRecycling-newsletter-re-plastic-recycling.pdf