The organisers of a beach clean-up estimated that six tonnes of waste were collected from just one Abu Dhabi beach in a day, as they warned of a poor attitude to littering.
Plastics manufacturer Borouge organised the clean-up, with about 3,500 volunteers, at Kitesurfing beach on Saadiyat Island on Sunday.
As one of the world’s biggest generators of waste, Abu Dhabi has a major challenge with pollution. On average, residents of the capital generate 1.65 kilograms of solid waste a day.
According to the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association, plastic makes up about a third of the 80 million tonnes of waste generated in the Gulf every year.
Schools, volunteers and businesses took part in Sunday’s clean-up, organised by Borouge.
Despite being one of the world’s biggest producers of petrochemicals, Borouge organises clean-up campaigns in all the cities where it operates, including Mumbai, Shanghai and Singapore.
Company representatives said they were aware plastics accounted for the majority of the litter found in cities and was determined to do its bit in addressing the issue.
They said not enough was being done about a problem that communities could manage, and that starting education on recycling and littering at a young age was an important part of the solution.
“It’s very easy to put the blame on plastic production, it’s very easy to say ‘plastic is the problem, let’s ban plastic’, but that doesn’t solve the problem,” said Maitha Al Marashi, corporate social responsibility adviser at Borouge. “The idea here is to educate the kids on the benefits of plastics and to show them what the impacts of littering are.”
The company hoped to change habits of littering and waste management, she said.
Abdulrahman Al Ateek, acting senior vice president for corporate affairs at Borouge, said plastics could easily have a lower carbon footprint.
“It’s a pity that when a bottle is used, for example, is never goes back to the environment,” he said.
“The fundamental idea is that it’s our use of waste that is damaging the environment, it’s not plastics.”
In the Gulf, only 10 per cent of waste is recycled, according to the GPCA.
That is something the UAE aims to change. Part of the country’s Vision 2021 campaign is to divert 75 per cent of waste away from landfills.
nalwasmi@thenational.ae
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The biog
Born November 11, 1948
Education: BA, English Language and Literature, Cairo University
Family: Four brothers, seven sisters, two daughters, 42 and 39, two sons, 43 and 35, and 15 grandchildren
Hobbies: Reading and traveling
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Australia World Cup squad
Aaron Finch (capt), Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa
I Feel Pretty
Dir: Abby Kohn/Mark Silverstein
Starring: Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Emily Ratajkowski, Rory Scovel
Hotel Data Cloud profile
Date started: June 2016
Founders: Gregor Amon and Kevin Czok
Based: Dubai
Sector: Travel Tech
Size: 10 employees
Funding: $350,000 (Dh1.3 million)
Investors: five angel investors (undisclosed except for Amar Shubar)
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The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
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
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The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, David Warner, Adam Zampa
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.