Abu Dhabi steps up fight against illegal dumping

Abu Dhabi targets to reduce complaints on illegal dumping of waste by 90 per cent soon as garbage trucks and waste water tankers are tracked round-the-clock by GPS (global positioning system) trackers, a senior municipal official told Gulf News recently. As of February 28, the Centre of Waste Management-Abu Dhabi (CWMA) has fitted 98 per cent of the lorries with GPS trackers, Saif Al Shamsi, Director of Excellence and Quality Department at CWMA, said. He said the remaining two per cent are expected to be fitted with GPS trackers by the end of April as they have been issued final warning to this effect. "If they do not comply with the rule, those companies' permit for waste transportation will be revoked and trade licence for waste management operations will be suspended," the official said. The CWMA is responsible for the collection and disposal of waste in the emirate. It has outsourced waste management services to about 2,000 companies, of which 760 are dealing with collection and transportation of waste. They handle 33,000 tonnes of waste per day which comes over ten million tonnes annually. Waste collection Before introducing the GPS tracking system, complaints on illegal waste dumping were widespread, especially in the emirate's Western Region. People used to complain about waste collection trucks dumping sewerage water in the deserts and thus, polluting farms in the region. But statistics regarding the complaints that were logged before the CWMA were not readily available with the official. The CWMA is monitoring the waste transportation fleet through its GPS Operations and Control Room. The CWMA issues violation citations and takes legal and administrative action against violators in coordination with other government entities, Al Shamsi said. He said the state of the art system sends alerts to its inspectors whenever a tanker, for example, discharges waste water outside a designated treatment facility. The tracking system works 24 hours a day, seven a days a week, throughout the year. The system can also determine a truck's load volume and when and where these are disposed of, he said. The CWMA is targeting to eliminate more than 90 per cent of all illegal dumping violations in the emirate through different tools, procedures and regulations, he added. Green initiatives The Centre of Waste Management — Abu Dhabi (CWMA) has highlighted the new investment opportunities in eco-friendly waste management. Among the areas where potential investors can get into include: recycling and processing of electronic waste and used cooking oils, and establishment of certified waste management consultancies to support various waste management efforts undertaken by different entities in the emirate, said Saif Al Shamsi, Director of Excellence and Quality Department at CWMA. Al Shamsi spoke at a recent workshop organised by the CWMA to enhance the communication with different waste management stakeholders. It was part of the "communicate for excellence" programme to encourage and support the recycling Industry, sustainable initiatives and the centre's strategic plan to divert 90 per cent of waste in the emirate from landfills to the recycling industry by 2018. The officials said the centre supports green and recycling industries through regulations, logistics and financial support to help achieve the centre's strategic objective in establishing a comprehensive waste management and recycling industry in the emirate. He said the centre has registered and licensed 2000 environmental service providers during the past 18 months in the emirate. To report complaints on waste collection: -    Call toll free number: 8001122