ABU DHABI // As many slept in on the morning of New Year’s Day, scores of workers took to the Corniche and Breakwater to clean up after the revellers.
With walkways, streets and the beachfront to cover, the tidying-up process started at dawn, said Harish Marampalli, a cleaner with Lavajet.
“Our shift ends at 2pm,” said the Indian expatriate. The 21-year-old started work with about 10 other colleagues at 6am.
Although their shift will end in the afternoon, the tidying-up will not.
“Another group of workers — about 11 or 12 — will take over, and work from 2pm till 10pm today,” Mr Marampalli said.
On regular days, about 100 staff from Lavajet and Averda cleaning companies work in the Corniche area. Although the number of workers at the Corniche yesterday was not available, large events, such as New Year's Eve celebrations, usually means the number rises considerably.
At the recent National Day celebrations on the Corniche, more than 1,400 staff were involved in the clean-up.
Yesterday, cleaning staff removed confetti, plastic cups, cans, bottles, plastic bags and cigarette butts.
Mr Marampalli said the job was more manageable compared to last month, when tonnes of rubbish, mostly food, was collected after the National Day celebration.
“Most of the waste, as you can see here, is cigarette butts, water bottles and confetti,” he said. His colleague, Vinood Dejavath, 18, said the main items he came across were plastic bags, water bottles and drink cans.
“It’s not too much,” he said. “But people must learn to throw their rubbish in the dustbins.”
The Government could significantly cut down on the cost of cleaning if people were tidier, said Sreedhar Jetty, 48, an Indian civil engineer who has worked and lived in the capital for nearly five years.
“The Corniche is pretty clean but there should be more public awareness drives about proper waste disposal and caring for the environment.”
Arnold Dimaano, 40, a civil engineer from the Philippines, said the cleaning staff should be commended for their quick work.
“The Corniche looks beautiful and we always look forward to our early morning walks during the weekend,” he said.
rruiz@thenational.ae
