Jeddah Municipality takes up active Recycle project for a clean and green city

According to an official report by Jeddah Municipality that was shared with Saudi Gazette, on average, Jeddah residents generate 5,000 tons of waste per month, but during Ramadan and Haj the number reaches as high as 7,500 tons. Jeddah alone generates two million tons of waste each year, which translates to about 1.8 kg of waste per day per person in Jeddah.

“Our vision is of a cleaner, greener, more developed, and attractive Jeddah. Not only is recycling good for the environment, but it will also boost the city’s economy and create new job opportunities,” said Dr. Hani Abu Ras, Mayor of Jeddah, who approved the municipality’s support and funding of the recent recycling project that has already hit two of Jeddah’s districts Al-Masarrah and Al-Fayhaa.

“The tremendous amount of waste that is simply being disposed of is actually the lost gold; it is a treasure. If the waste was used properly, it could save the country billions of dollars,” said Eng. Ayman Al-Zahrani, the municipality’s Sanitation Manager for Northern Jeddah.

“The municipality’s goal is to encourage society to follow these steps: reduce waste, reuse, and recycle. The last and most undesirable option is for the waste to end up in landfills,” added Al-Zahrani.

“Jeddah municipality has partnered with the Saudi Environmental Society headed by Prince Turki Bin Nasser, President of the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment, to take clear-cut steps and to promote in our society the concept of recycling from the source, which is your home, apartment building, school, office, or university,” said Dr. Majda Aburas, Member of the Board of Directors and Vice Deputy Manager of SENS.

The level of education and environmental awareness has significantly risen in Saudi society and all residents are dissatisfied and frustrated with the current situation of stinking neighborhood garbage cans, dirty street cats rummaging through garbage, homeless women digging up garbage, and the surrounding insects that spread diseases. The society is ready for a change and they will welcome the new project which is the very first governmental initiative for recycling in the Kingdom.

Aburas, a strong supporter and vital pillar of this project told the Saudi Gazette: “Before the new recycling bins were introduced in Al-Masarrah and Al-Fayhaa districts, SENS held awareness lectures and workshops that targeted the women in these communities... We have a number of awareness events planned for the near future.”

“Our aim is to make recycling easy and accessible to the average family.

The municipality is responsible for distributing different colored garbage bags to the households each month in these two districts.

Red is for glass and metal, green is for paper and cardboard, blue is for plastic, and black is for other discarded waste that cannot be recycled.

Al-Zahrani said when the recyclables are not separated originally from the source, this creates a great physical burden and financial cost on the municipality’s waste management system. When waste arrives as one huge heap at the disposal site, the recyclables are mixed up with the rest of the waste.

The process of garbage collecting, disposing in landfills, compressing, and finally burying or incinerating is far more expensive and costly for the government than a reliable system of recycling from the source.

“The trial stage introduced in Al-Masarrah and Al-Fayhaa districts has met with much success and has received widespread positive feedback from the community and has also attracted prospective investors in this lucrative industry,” said Al-Zahrani.