Public opinion is slowly turning against the unnecessary use of plastics in every day life. Anthony Wallace / AFP
Public opinion is slowly turning against the unnecessary use of plastics in every day life. Anthony Wallace / AFP
Public opinion is slowly turning against the unnecessary use of plastics in every day life. Anthony Wallace / AFP
Public opinion is slowly turning against the unnecessary use of plastics in every day life. Anthony Wallace / AFP

Recycling in UAE: 'I don't want my bright green straw ending up wedged in some turtle’s nose'


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On my dish rack right now are several plastic Ziploc baggies of various sizes. After I use them, I flip them inside out, rinse them off, then stand them to dry.

They look a bit like sad jellyfish and add to the already cluttered state of my kitchen, but I can’t bring myself to throw them away.

The bags go along with the stash of plastic water bottles, most of which have lost their caps and thus can’t be re-used, but as with the bags, I can’t bring myself to throw them away. In my effort to avoid plastic waste, I seem to have become a plastic hoarder.

That's why the other day when I drove by Khalidiyah Park, just at the corner of Khaleej Al Arabi, I almost caused a traffic accident: I had to stare at the huge recycling stand, brightly colored and clearly labelled. At this stand you can rid yourself of almost anything, including old medicines and, of course, plastics. Here's hoping that this station will be emptied correctly, instead of what we've all seen elsewhere: carefully separated trash being dumped willy-nilly into one big truck.

The National given significant coverage in recent months to the issue of plastic waste in the UAE, which as a country ranks close to the top in the world in terms of waste. Unlike World Cup standings, however, this table is one where you want to hover close to the bottom. That brightly colored recycling station - if there were more of them - might help Abu Dhabi move down in the standings.

Some of you might be old enough to remember the moment in The Graduate, when an impossibly young Dustin Hoffman receives career advice: “Plastics,” he’s told, “there’s a great future in plastics.”

The new plastic recycling drop point in Khalidiyah Park. Victor Besa / The National
The new plastic recycling drop point in Khalidiyah Park. Victor Besa / The National

It’s true: plastic has become the future, and not just because of the technology that invented it. The new-fangled Tupperware from that 1967 film is probably still around, forty years into the future: plastic takes more than 100 years to break down, if it breaks down at all.

According to an article last year in The National, of the 80 million tonnes of waste generated in the country, plastics makes up about a third. And that straw you're using right now to sip your Starbucks coffee concoction? It's never going to vanish; it's too small for standard recycling and yet we utilize 50,000,000 straws every day.

A friend of mine came back from a trip to Morocco the other day and showed me a small cloth sack, so simple in its outline that children could stitch it together in minutes. He said these sacks are what get used in grocery stores and vegetable stands all over the country instead of plastic. Simple and small enough to stash in a pocket, these bags raise the question of why Abu Dhabi can’t follow suit.

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Read more:

Recycling in Abu Dhabi is about to get a lot more efficient

Waitrose Abu Dhabi trial sees 75 per cent drop in plastic bag use

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We could blame the bottled-water manufacturers, or Starbucks for this plastics problem, or maybe we should blame lemons, which come singly and are thus hard to carry unless they’re in a sack.

Unfortunately, however, the plastics problem stems from us, and our inherent desire to take the path of least resistance, a path made smooth by the magic of plastic. It’s hard to resist those handy-dandy bags, straws, cutlery—all those symbols of “convenience,” but you know what will be a serious inconvenience? Dead oceans.

When you measure your need for a plastic fork against “the ocean,” doesn’t the fork seem like something you don’t need to include with your delivery order? I know, I know, we all say “it’s just one fork” – but we all say “it’s just one straw” and suddenly we have enough straws to circle the globe several times over.

That recycling station outside Khalidiyah Park will become a regular stop on my errand rotation, although I am still going to wash out and re-use my baggies. And when I can’t use them any longer, I might just stash them in the back closet.

It’s not convenient, but I don’t want to risk my old baggies becoming deadly snack for some innocent sea-bird, and I’m willing to risk spilling my Starbucks on my shirt in order to prevent that bright green straw ending up wedged in some turtle’s nose.

Dolittle

Director: Stephen Gaghan

Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Michael Sheen

One-and-a-half out of five stars

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

THE%20JERSEYS
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The Scale for Clinical Actionability of Molecular Targets
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MATCH INFO

Champions League last 16, first leg

Tottenham v RB Leipzig, Wednesday, midnight (UAE)

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
The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm

Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Price: from Dh155,000

On sale: now

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

 

Lowest Test scores

26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955

30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896

30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924

35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899

36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932

36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902

36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020

38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019

42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946

42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888

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

NO OTHER LAND

Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal

Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).

Scoreline

Real Madrid 1
Ronaldo (53')

Atletico Madrid 1
Griezmann (57')

England v South Africa Test series:

First Test: at Lord's, England won by 211 runs

Second Test: at Trent Bridge, South Africa won by 340 runs

Third Test: at The Oval, July 27-31

Fourth Test: at Old Trafford, August 4-8

FIXTURES

Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)

Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)

Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)

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