70 RVMs and 26 smart bins across the emirate to help recycle aluminium cans & single-use plastic bottles

On Wednesday, June 12, Abu Dhabi launched an ambitious plant of recycling 20 million single-use plastic bottles yearly, an initiative to focus on a sustainable and healthy environment. For the same, the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi established a bottle return scheme to encourage households and residents to recycle their aluminium cans and plastic bottles. The agency claimed that to encourage the recycling of millions of aluminium cans and plastic bottles, it plans to place as many as 70 reverse vending machines (RVMs) and 26 smart bins in high-traffic areas in Abu Dhabi.

“We have ensured that they [RVMs and smart bins] are well located so that they are accessible, minimising the efforts for consumers to find them. We know that incentives are vital in this day and age to encourage consumers to change their behaviour and that is why these RVMs and smart bins will be a great tool for us to nurture a love for recycling by Abu Dhabi residents as a key step to build a circular system and reduce material flow,” said Sheikha Salem Al Dhaheri, secretary general of EAD.

The RVMs will be installed in high-traffic places such as the Corniche, Abu Dhabi International Airport, sports arenas, shopping malls, and schools. The new recycling bins around the emirate were set up at Adnoc gas stations last month. As part of the agency's Mission to Zero initiative, 172 million plastic bags were removed from circulation in Abu Dhabi last year after the city banned them.

“We look forward to this next phase, as we continue to work towards Majid Al Futtaim's ambition of eliminating the distribution of single-use plastic across all of its businesses by 2025,” Mr Loumaye said.

Several of the agency's most important partners and stakeholders attended Wednesday's ceremony, including Lulu, Aldar, and Carrefour. The national manager for Majid Al Futtaim, Bertrand Loumaye, said all Carrefour shops in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain would be outfitted with vending machines and recycling bins.