Abu Dhabi is to spend more than Dh1 billion on a super high-tech waste management system in which smart bins can contact refuse collectors when they need to be emptied.
The Center of Waste Management Abu Dhabi, also known as Tadweer, the Arabic word for “recycling”, announced on Monday that it has signed contracts worth Dh1.1bn to cover collecting rubbish, street sweeping and cleaning.
According to the deal, 4,236 people and 650 vehicles will be employed collecting the 1.7 million tonnes of rubbish produced in Abu Dhabi emirate each year.
Sharjah Environment Company (Bee’ah), Averda Waste Management, and Lavajet Abu Dhabi – Nael and Bin Harmal Hydro-export Establishment, will provide some of the most technologically advanced waste collection and transportation, street sweeping and cleaning services in the world.
As part of the new services, Tadweer says that it will use technologically advanced rubbish bins which use energy from the sun to compact waste.
Bins in areas with high levels of waste will have smart chips and sensors hidden inside them so that they can send a message asking to be emptied.
Tadweer said that an electronic weighing system will be adopted in waste collection vehicles to determine the amount of waste generated at the source.
Each bin will have a unique electronic code provided by the smart chip so that it can be tracked and indicate how much waste has been collected.
Tadweer also signed contracts worth Dh140 million with Eagle Environment Services and Pest Control, Akar Landscaping Services and Agriculture, and Prime Tech Diversified Contracting to provide pest control services to the emirate by controlling insects and impounding stray dogs, cats and camels.
“Signing these new contracts comes in line with Tadweer’s vision of being recognised as a world leader in building sustainable integrated waste management and pest control systems by 2030,” said Eisa Al Qubaisi, Tadweer’s general manager.
Tadweer will distribute more than 120,000 green bins for recycling and black bins for general waste.
A report released at last October’s Eco-Waste conference organised by Masdar showed that waste generated in the UAE will increase by close to 30 per cent from 6.6 million tonnes a year to 8.4 million tonnes by 2017.
lbarnard@thenational.ae
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