Bee’ah, the Middle East’s fastest-growing waste management company, is aiming for double-digit growth in revenues and profits over the next three years as the company expands operations into the Arab world's biggest economy, Saudi Arabia, and targets zero waste headed to landfills.
"We have witnessed double-digit growth in both our revenues and profits in the last five financial years," Khaled Al Huraimel, group chief executive of Sharjah-headquartered public-private firm Bee'ah, told The National.
“Looking at the ongoing projects and expansion plans, we predict the same rate of growth to continue for at least next three years.”
Founded in 2007, Bee’ah - which means "environment" in Arabic - collects over 3 million tonnes of waste annually.
“Saudi Arabia is a huge market … we have recently opened an office there and we will start operations by next year. Right now, we are looking at Riyadh but gradually we will explore opportunities across the Kingdom,” said Mr Huraimel.
Bee’ah has the highest landfill diversion rate in the Middle East, at 76 per cent. This means less than a quarter of waste is going to landfills, while the rest is recycled and reused.
People are understanding that waste is a resource from which you can derive value, income and develop a sustainable business, if treated well, said Mr Huraimel, adding, “We have a successful model in Sharjah and we aim to leverage it in the entire region.”
Bee’ah started a joint venture with Abu Dhabi's Masdar in 2017 and Emirates Waste to-Energy Company, to start generating power from waste. The waste-to-energy plant is under construction in Sharjah and is being heralded as a turning point in the UAE’s efforts to reduce waste. Bee'ah has only disclosed the financing loan amount of $220 million (Dh808m) while the exact value of the project is much higher.
The waste-to-energy plant will generate close to 30 megawatts of energy by burning up to 37.5 tonnes of rubbish an hour, generating steam to be used to power generators, which will in turn provide electricity to the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority.
“By 2021, our waste-to-energy facility will be fully operational and we will have zero waste going to the landfill [in Sharjah]. We secured the full financing for the project at the end of last year,” said Mr Huraimel.
Bee’ah is also working on generating energy from other renewable resources such as solar.
Mr Huraimel said by 2021, Bee’ah aims to produce close to 100MW of power (roughly enough to power 10,000 homes at once) through waste and solar energy.
Bee’ah's fleet consists of over 1,200 collection vehicles and the company is using digital tools to track the fleet and optimise routing through the internet of things.
“Some of our waste bins have sensors that communicate directly with the control room, alerting vehicles for collection.”
To diversify its operations further through digitalisation, Bee’ah set up a company, EvoTeq, in 2017 to pursue digital ventures. Working with the UAE Ministry of Health, it co-developed a medicine trace-and-track platform in collaboration with IBM and SAP. This technology platform will be launched in the UAE "soon", Mr Huraimel said.
“It is an advanced product to track medicines and eliminate the problem of counterfeit medicines, illegal transactions and shortage of drugs. Right from the manufacturer to the end patient, anybody can track the medicine using a mobile application and the ministry will have all the records.”
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Profile of Bitex UAE
Date of launch: November 2018
Founder: Monark Modi
Based: Business Bay, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: Eight employees
Investors: Self-funded to date with $1m of personal savings
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Fixtures
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The%20Last%20White%20Man
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The%20Iron%20Claw
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What is a black hole?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Scoreline
Saudi Arabia 1-0 Japan
Saudi Arabia Al Muwallad 63’
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
SPECS
%3Cp%3EEngine%3A%20Twin-turbocharged%204-litre%20V8%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20625%20bhp%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20630Nm%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20Now%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh974%2C011%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
LOVE%20AGAIN
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Ponti
Sharlene Teo, Pan Macmillan
The five pillars of Islam
MORE ON IRAN'S PROXY WARS
T20 World Cup Qualifier, Muscat
UAE FIXTURES
Friday February 18: v Ireland
Saturday February 19: v Germany
Monday February 21: v Philippines
Tuesday February 22: semi-finals
Thursday February 24: final
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5