Category Archives: Waste Management

The Menace of Plastic Water Bottles

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Plastic water bottles are a common feature in urban life in the Middle East. The availability of water bottles is common and the cost is affordable by all sections of the society due to which its use and misuse has increased manifolds with time. People also provide it for free in mosques and other public locations. It is because of its easy availability that people misuse this resource considering it free, taking a bottle, sipping it, consuming partly and leaving it at the venue or throwing it in garbage bins. Empty and partially consumed water bottles are collected and thrown away in municipal … Continue reading →

Environmental Impacts of Industrialization

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Everything we do, from the food we eat to the electricity we use, affects the world around us — but it wasn’t always that way. The Industrial Revolution changed the way that we created everything, from food and energy to sanitation and manufacturing technologies. How has industrialization impacted the environment, and what can we do in the future to reduce these environmental impacts? The Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution started sometime in the middle of the 1700s, when the world’s population had finally started recovering from the deaths of the Black Plague in the 1300s that wiped out more than … Continue reading →

Dealing with Polystyrene Wastes

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Polystyrene (also known as EPS Foam or Styrofoam) is a highly popular plastic packaging material which finds wide application in packaging of food items, electronic goods, electrical appliances, furniture etc due to its excellent insulating and protective properties. Polystyrene is also used to make useful products such as disposable cups, trays, cutlery, cartons, cases etc. Despite the attractiveness of polystyrene, municipalities and organisations are facing a growing problem in disposal of polystyrene packaging and products. Being large and bulky, polystyrene take up significant space in rubbish bins which means that bins becomes full more quickly and therefore needs to be emptied … Continue reading →

صحوة بيئية

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الخطر الذي يهدد الامن الصحي والبيئي للمجتمع المحلي في بيروت دفع المجتمع المدني البيئي لإعلان مواجهة إجراءات التخلص من النفايات عن طريق الحرق، ومن المعروف ان هذا الإجراء له مخاطره الصحية على الإنسان والبيئة، وسبق وكان للمجتمع المدني البيئي في البحرين موقفه المعارض لاعتماد هذا النظام الذي وجد إستجابة من الجهات العليا والمختصة في الشأن البيئي. التحرك المدني البيئي في بيروت يمثل توجه مهم للتنوير البيئي وتعزيز الصحوة البيئية للمجتمع في مواجهة المشاريع المضرة بصحة الانسان ومحيطه البيئي، لذلك وجدنا ضرورة تسليط الضوء على التحرك البيئي في بيروت. ان توجهنا في تسليط الضوء على التحرك البيئي جاء بناء على التعاون … Continue reading →

Construction Wastes Management in the UAE

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Out of total solid wastes generated in the UAE, the construction and demolition (C&D) wastes account for 70% of the total weight of solid wastes. Dubai alone produces nearly 5,000 tonnes of construction and demolition waste every day, which is about 70% of the total solid waste generated every day. In Abu Dhabi, C & D wastes account for 71% of total wastes generated in the year 2011. It is expected that construction and development activities and associated C&D waste production will continue to rise in this region. Hence, if not managed appropriately, it is expected that dumping of C … Continue reading →

التأثير البيئي لمعالجة مخلفات زيت الزيتون

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تعد زراعة الزيتون وإنتاج زيت الزيتون جزءاً من التراث المحلي والاقتصاد الريفي في كافة أنحاء منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا وأكثر ما يشتهر به هذا المحصول هو استخدامه في الطبخ وفي الاستعمالات الطبية. في عام 2012، قدر إنتاج العالم من زيت الزيتون بنحو 2903.676 طن، وتعد إسبانيا وإيطاليا واليونان من أكبر منتجي زيت الزيتون في العالم، تليها في الترتيب تركيا وتونس ثم البرتغال والمغرب والجزائر. في الاتحاد الأوروبي وحده يوجد حوالي 2.5 مليون منتِج في قطاع الزيتون، يشكلون مجتمعين حوالي ثلث مزارعي الاتحاد الأوروبي. توفر صناعة زيت الزيتون فرصًا قيمة للمزارعين من حيث التوظيف الموسمي بالإضافة إلى توفير فرص عمل مهمة خارج نطاق … Continue reading →

Medical Wastes in GCC

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There has been a growing awareness of the need for safe management of medical waste all over the world. Medical Waste are generated by all health sectors including hospitals, laboratories, diagnostic and research centers, dental and medical clinics, blood banks, mortuaries and autopsy centres, veterinary hospitals, industrial laboratories etc. Medical wastes which pose the greatest risk to human health are infectious waste (or hazardous medical waste) which constitutes 15 – 25 percent of total healthcare waste. Infectious wastes may include all waste items that are contaminated with or suspected of being contaminated with body fluids such as blood and blood products, used catheters … Continue reading →

The Menace of Single-Use Plastic Bags

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Single-use plastic bags are one of the most objectionable types of litter in urban areas. The sheer volume of plastic waste generated coupled with energy and material resources required for production, as well as emissions resulting from these processes paint a grim picture of the environmental havoc created by plastic bags. Single-use plastic bags are a huge threat to the environment as an estimated 1 trillion such bags are consumed worldwide every year. In the United Arab Emirates alone, nearly 12 billion plastic bags are used annually. Major Hazards Single-use plastic bags are notorious for their interference in natural ecosystems … Continue reading →

Waste Awareness in Qatar: A Survey

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Waste awareness in Qatar has gained traction in recent years, but more efforts are required to make the masses aware about the consequences of reckless waste generation and disposal, and how sustainable living practices and recycling can help in making Qatar a truly sustainable nation. Below is the outcome of an interesting survey on waste awareness which was conducted among Qataris and non-Qataris (expatriates). Plastic is the most common waste generated in a typical household in Qatar. One-third of overall respondents say that of all products, the volume of the plastic waste generated is higher, followed by food waste (19%) … Continue reading →

Environmental Impact of Olive Oil Processing Wastes

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More commonly known for its popular culinary and medicinal benefits, olive cultivation and olive oil production are a part of the local heritage and rural economy throughout the North African and Mediterranean regions. In 2012, an estimated 2,903,676 tons of olive oil was produced worldwide, the largest olive oil producers being Spain, Italy, and Greece followed by Turkey and Tunisia and to a lesser extent Portugal, Morocco and Algeria. Within the European Union’s olive sector alone, there are roughly 2.5 million producers, who make up roughly one-third of all EU farmers. The olive oil industry offers valuable opportunities to farmers in … Continue reading →

أفضل خمس طرق لتخفيف البصمة البلاستيكية

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عندما نقرأ التقاريرالاخيرة التي تتحدث عن الكم الهائل من النفايات البلاستيكية العائمة في محيطاتنا، والأنهار والبحيرات، فإننا ندرك تماماً بانه قد حان الوقت أن نبدأ في إيجاد حلول لهذه المشكلة. كلنا نعلم بأن إعادة التدوير أمر جيد، لكن لأسباب كثيرة، ليس الحل الأمثل لتلوث العالم بالبلاستيك. يجب علينا جميعا أن نتعلم كيفية تقليل كمية النفايات البلاستيكية التي نقوم نحن بإنتاجها في المقام الأول. إليك طرقي المفضلة الخمسة لتقليل البصمة البلاستيكية الشخصية: استخدم حقيبة/ كيس التسوق الخاص بك يتم استخدام المليارات من أكياس التسوق البلاستيكية في جميع أنحاء العالم كل عام. حيث توفرها المحال التجارية مجانا لزبائنها، إلا أن تكلفتها البيئية … Continue reading →

Medical Waste Management in MENA

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Healthcare sector in MENA region is growing at a very rapid pace, which in turn has led to tremendous increase in the quantity of medical waste generation by hospitals, clinics and other establishments. According to a recent Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs report, Egypt generated 28,300 tons of hazardous medical wastes in 2010. In the GCC region, more than 150 tons of medical waste is generated in GCC countries every day. Saudi Arabia leads the pack with daily healthcare waste generation of more than 80 tons. These figures are indicative of the magnitude of the problem faced by municipal authorities in … Continue reading →

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