Dubai to host the first Middle East Waste Summit

Posted: 25 June 2008
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Dubai Municipality this week announced the inauguration of the first major summit to tackle the issues of waste management and recycling in the Middle East.

With massive development activities taking place in the region and a rapidly increasing population, waste management is generating more and more concern among corporations, individuals and environmentalists.

Currently, GCC countries rank in the top 10 of world waste producers with 120 million tons of waste per year, with the figure expected to reach 350,000 million tons by 2014.

Dubai alone creates 30,000 tons of construction and demolition waste every day.

“These figures urge the need for the world to exploit and make use of the latest technologies in the field of waste management,” said Abdulla Rafea, Assistant General Director of Dubai ’s Health and Environmental Services Sector

“Recycling can make good environmental and economic sense given the right conditions,” he said at a conference announcing the Middle East Waste Summit, to be held in Dubai in March 2009.

“It will conserve natural resources, save energy in production and transport, reduce risks of pollution and ultimately may produce goods that are less expensive.”

The summit is expected to be the largest and most comprehensive waste management and recycling event in the Middle East , with over 6,000 expected attendees.

Top industry leaders representing government/municipalities, industry projects, academia, private organisations and waste generators from all industries will address current topics and challenges relevant to waste collection, transport and treatment; material recycling and reuse; waste to energy; and hazardous and medical waste solutions.

Middle East Waste Summit 09 will call on the international community to respond to their responsibilities and the growing requirement of waste management and emphasise the importance of protecting the environment for future generations.