Raising a stink: 2.16 million Dubai residents generate 325 million kg of rubbish

Today, June 27, is World Facilities Management Day 2013, and to mark it here in Dubai, the Middle East Facilities Management Association (Mefma) has announced research from its founding member Imdaad, which compares the annual levels of general waste being collected by the facility management company across residential and commercial communities in Dubai.

The data reveals that, in 2012, Imdaad collected 325,522 metric tonnes (325.5 million kg) of waste in Dubai, of which 13.6 per cent was recyclable. This is worse than the 292,081mt collected in 2011 (15.4 per cent recyclable), but better than the 326,665mt collected in 2010, of which 12.5 per cent was recyclable.

According to the Dubai Statistics Centre, Dubai has a pupulation of 2.158 million as of mid-day on June 27, 2013, and that translates into about 151kg of waste generated per head - by every man, woman and child - in the emirate every year. 

So what do these fluctuating numbers say about our waste habits? “The fact that levels are increasing and decreasing over the last three years is not an indication of waste disposal habits in Dubai,” says Ali Hassan, Director of Environment services at Imdaad.

“The real estate sector has bounced back and more commercial and residential properties have come onto the market. With a natural increase in the population occupying new buildings it is impossible to keep reducing waste levels year on year. Instead the focus must be on educating people of Dubai on recycling and choosing recyclable products at the point of purchase,” he says.

Jamal Lootah, CEO of Imdaad and President of Mefma, adds: “Our work in Dubai is directly related to the environment and can be used as a bellwether for sustainable progress in the emirate. As a consequence, we hope the data will motivate residents to improve the recycling trend and reduce general waste levels when they can see the affect it will have on the communities for which Imdaad is a facility management provider.”

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