Municipal Recycling Facilities in Fujairah: I’d Like to See That!

Update
So far in the Fujairah: I’d Like to See That! series, I have suggested several things, not out of anger or frustration but to make a contribution to the dreaming process.

I have expressed dreams for the following:
* A Fujairah Facebook Network
* More trees
* More playgrounds and park benches (this dream has been partly fulfilled)
* Some Good Maps on Fujairah and how to get to the east coast
* At least one Fujairah Visitor Centre but ideally one at each gate to the city
* A growing photographic gallery of Fujairah’s landmarks
* Greater collaboration between Sharjah-East Coast & Fujairah especially in tourism
* More books published (Arabic and English) with a Fujairah flavor
* A growing range of good video clips and short films on Fujairah

Any Ideas?
I would love to hear and post the dreams that others have for this region so if you have an idea, let me know.

Recycling Facilities
It would be good for the residents and good for the environment if we had a Municipality sponsored Recycling Facility in Fujairah and along the east coast.

Mention was made recently in a Gulf News article of the lack of any state-owned recycling facility but it gave a good reason why this is urgently needed:

“According to an EAD report, waste production per person per year in the emirates average between 547kg and 766kg, making the UAE one of the highest waste producing countries in the world. Though the UAE was an environmentally conservative society, the current trend is the 'use and throw' culture of urban societies, mentioned the report.”

The recently convened meeting of UAE leaders from various sectors of the country were seeking to respond to the news that the UAE had the greatest ecological footprint in the world. One would think that recycling facilities would be an essential part of any plan to rectifying this reputation.

A further Gulf News report highlighted how students and educators are leading the way in the UAE and it focused on the recycling facilities at the HCT-Women’s College in Fujairah. A story was posted earlier in the year when this good initiative was launched and the College is continuing its commitment through a new mobile phone recycling program, linked with EnviroFone. There are understandable difficulties about public access to a College in order to deposit one’s bottles, cans and papers and only the ardent environmentalists will do this.

What is needed is government leadership and municipality sponsored recycling facilities with appropriate recycling bins to every residence with a pick up at the places where people currently dispose of their rubbish.

For Fujairah, having recently announced tourism goals and plans to showcase its beautiful landscape, one would think that recycling facilities would be at the top of the agenda.

The environmental challenge is one which requires cooperation at all levels for both the implementation of the services and the consistent education which cultivates wholesome green habits. It has been good to see educational institutions showing the way. It would also be heartening to see a bold commitment by federal and local governments. Furthermore imams need to be teaching the truths in the Koran and other religious leaders explaining the way that all the ancient scriptures view the environment as a gift and humans as caretakers.

Geoff Pound

Image: An example of colour-coded bins for recycling different waste products.