DUBAI // Recycling will soon be as easy as pushing a button - if a Dubai company has its way.
Bosses plan to seek a US patent for a device that can separate recyclable materials and dump them into the appropriate bin -making it easier for people to be eco-friendly.
Users can select paper, plastic, glass, metal or general waste, simply by pressing a button on the control panel next to a rubbish chute.
The waste must still be separated before being deposited in the chute.
The machine will soon be operating in buildings in Abu Dhabi. It is expected to be up and running at the capital's Central Market this autumn, followed by the New York University Abu Dhabi.
"The lack of recycling in the country is because every single system or process available here does not facilitate people's daily habits," said Mostafa Nassar, the business development manager of WMS Metal Industries, which specialises in building rubbish chutes for high-rise buildings.
Recycling is not widely available on a door-to-door basis. At present you must drive to a waste collection point and these can be far away.
This deters all but diehard environmentalists, said Mr Nassar.
"You have to go out of your way to recycle here," he added.
With recycling rates below 10 per cent, the UAE is struggling to find the best way to deal with the ever-growing mountains of waste produced daily.
WMS hopes to make recycling much easier for the public, and profitable for building owners.
Mr Nassar and his older brother, Mohamed Nassar, the managing partner of the company, have developed the waste-separator system over the last year.
The separator is essentially a large metal box or cylinder installed at the end of a rubbish chute. Inside this is a metal head.
"The head turns, directing the garbage to different trolleys at the end of the chute, depending on which button is pushed," said Mohamed.
Yesterday, he showcased the device - an orange metal box about two metres tall. Its shape can vary depending on the building, as can the number of waste categories on the electronic panel controlling it.
Landlords can decide to separate only recyclable waste such as glass, plastic, metal and paper from general rubbish. Others may be more specific, separating different categories of recyclable materials.
"Up to six fractions, there is no problem," said Mohamed.
Landlords can collect recyclable waste and sell it to processing firms. The company has calculated that a 20-storey building with eight apartments per floor can generate about Dh7,000 a month from recyclables. For landlords with many buildings, this could be a comfortable stream of revenue, the brothers said.
The system has panels on top of the waste trolleys to stop people stealing the recyclable material. The company claims that some building personnel in the UAE sell the materials for personal profit.
The device will also feature a tracking system so landlords can check if tenants have separated their waste conscientiously.
Later this month, the company plans to file a patent with the US Patent and Trademark Office.
Mohamed, an Egyptian who was raised in Abu Dhabi, said the issue of developing technology locally is important.
In 2009-2010, 321 patents in the US were filed by people or companies in the Arab world. Patent applications from India alone totalled more than 10,000, he said.
"What we are used to here is just doing what everyone else does," he said. "We are not very entrepreneurial as a region."
But more people are starting to tap into their creativity and take "more responsibility for their destinies", he said.
"If you sit down at home for five or six days and look for a new idea, I am sure you will find it," he said. "We were just lucky to find an idea related to the sector we work in."
vtodorova@thenational.ae
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Equinox
Price, base / as tested: Dh76,900 / Dh110,900
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder
Gearbox: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 252hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: Torque: 352Nm @ 2,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.5L / 100km
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.4-inch IPS LCD, 400 nits, toughened glass
CPU: Unisoc T610; Mali G52 GPU
Memory: 4GB
Storage: 64GB, up to 512GB microSD
Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio
Battery: 8200mAh, up to 10 hours video
Platform: Android 11
Audio: Stereo speakers, 2 mics
Durability: IP52
Biometrics: Face unlock
Price: Dh849
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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