Green firm urges people to recycle plastic

The environmental and waste management company Bee'ah is taking measures to encourage residents to recycle plastic after a recent report revealed that the UAE leads the world in per capita consumption of bottled water. According to the Worldwatch Institute, an estimated 275 litres are consumed annually per person in the UAE, which is comfortably the highest consumption rate in the world. This makes up approximately between 350 to 450 bottles of water that go to waste by each person every year, of which only a small percentage of them end up being recycled. "There is a growing demand by [local] companies to use recycled plastic materials, but unfortunately due to a lack of clean plastic bottles and containers as well as waste scavenging, there is an insufficient supply of recycled plastic in our country," explained Khalid Al Huraimel, chief executive of Bee'ah. Only 38 per cent of Sharjah residents are sorting and placing plastic items into recycle bins, Al Huraimel pointed out. Article continues below Recycling spots Bee'ah has provided residents with a few recycling options such as the Public Recycling Depot at Al Qasba, Pedestrian Recyclers along commercial and residential locations around Sharjah and has recently launched a Residential Recycling pilot project to allow residents to begin recycling at home.