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29 March 2024

GPCA plastic summit to focus on opportunities in recycling and sustainability

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By Staff

Recycling and sustainability will be a major theme for discussion at the 3rd Plastics Summit, to be held in Dubai from April 3-5, organized by the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA).

The Middle East and North Africa is estimated to produce up to 3,000 tonnes of PET bottles every month. However, studies indicate that only a third of that volume is currently being recycled.

Earlier this year, Dubai launched an initiative to provide as many as 3,700 free waste recycling bins to local households as part of efforts to reduce the amount of recyclable waste sent to landfills by 10 percent. According to Dubai Municipality, over 20 percent of the emirate’s waste comprises plastic rubbish.

The GPCA Summit will provide a platform to exchange best-practices and know-how, with a particular focus on end-of-life management of plastics. The conference aims at identifying business opportunities to convert plastic waste into a valuable and sustainable resource.

“The responsible disposal of plastic is a major concern: it is not the material that is harmful but often the behavior,” said Dr Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun, Secretary General of the GPCA. “Many plastics are completely recyclable and have a much lower carbon footprint than other products deemed more sustainable. More needs to be done to establish an adequate recycling infrastructure, outlaw littering and raise awareness of the benefits of plastics – and these issues will be key topics for discussion at the 3rd Plastics Summit next month.”

Al-Sadoun added: “Recycling presents a significant opportunity for new businesses and employment. Globally, the industry is now worth over US$500 billion and plastics represent a significant part of this. The Middle East is yet to develop many viable industries in recycling, but we are now seeing strong interest from regional businesses to learn more about the potential opportunities.”

In the GCC, lax attitudes towards littering and insufficient recycling capacity are tarnishing the image of plastics, despite the increased eco-friendliness of modern plastic products, Al-Sadoun said.

The GPCA believes a multifaceted approach is needed to address the challenges the industry faces, which will be examined during the 3rd Plastics Summit.

This requires legislation aimed at resource recovery through extensive recycling, and collaboration between industry, environmental groups and regional governments to proactively manage end-of-life issues with plastics. More education of the public is also needed to raise awareness of the benefits of plastics and to encourage communities to reduce, re-use and recycle.

Besides sustainability and recycling, the 3rd Plastics Summit, which last year attracted around 400 delegates from the Gulf and international plastics sector, will address a range of industry trends and topics.

Joining a number of high-level industry speakers at the event, Nick Kennoghan, Director of PIRA International, will present on the latest developments in food packaging, while Davies Shiba, General Manager, TUV Middle East, will discuss the ‘relevance of quality and hygiene management systems’.

Other sessions will examine plastics conversion in the building sector, and the role of innovation in the evolving GCC plastics sector.

Titled ‘Plastics conversion: growth opportunities in challenging markets,’ the 3rd GPCA Plastics Summit will be held from April 3-5 at the Grand Hyatt Dubai.

Waste disposal: fast facts

·The per capita municipal solid waste (MSW) in the GCC is estimated to be 667 kilograms per person per year, of which 26 percent is plastics. Current recycling rates are as low as 10 percent

·One tonne of recycled PET saves one and a half tonnes of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere

·Plastics which cannot be recycled are raw materials for ‘Waste-to-Energy’ (WtE) plants. This is a growing business, with a current global market value of $3.5 billion. In 2011, there were 1,300 WtE plants globally

·The least eco-friendly form of waste disposal are landfills, the dominant method in the GCC. Associated problems include underground water contamination and emissions contributing to global warming

·The introduction of sustainable recovery initiatives in the region is beginning to take shape: Abu Dhabi introduced new tariffs for businesses, charging AED225 per tonne of waste, prompting companies to reduce waste generation and consider recycling; Dubai is developing plans to build a 6,500 tonnes per day WtE plant to produce 150-megawatts of electricity.