Category Archives: Waste Management

Disposal of Waste Tires

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Tens of millions of tires are discarded across the Middle East every year. Disposal of  waste tires is a challenging task because tires have a long life and are non-biodegradable. The traditional method of disposal of waste tires have been stockpiling or illegally dumping or landfilling, all of which are short-term solution. Menace of Waste Tires Stockpiled tires provide perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes, vermin and snakes. Accidental fires caused in tire dumps can rage for months releasing toxic fumes. For example, a massive fire broke out at Jahra dumpsite in Kuwait in April 2012 where more than 5 million … Continue reading →

الأكياس البلاستيكية – مشكلة العصر

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الجميع ينشد التحضر ويعبر عن رغبته في توفير متطلبات العيش في بيئة نظيفة وصحية، لكن غالبية المكون الاجتماعي تسلك طريق مغاير لذلك الهدف البيئي والانساني، إذ يعمل الكثير من الافراد في تبني سلوك يتعارض مع ذلك المنهج والمعنى الحضاري، ومن المظاهر السلبية التي إستوقفتنا في هذا السياق والتي يعتبرها البعض ثقافة وحضارة، الاستخدام غير الرشيد للأكياس البلاستيكية، وبالاخص الخفيفة منها التي تجد طريقها الى الساحات العامة والشوارع والممرات وتأخذ في التطاير وتشويه المنظر الجمالي للقرية والمدينة، إذ نجدها معلقة بكثرة على أغصان الاشجار وإعلانات واجهات المتاجر والاسلاك على إختلاف أنواعها، ومتناثرة في الحدائق العامة وعلى شواطئ البحر وفي المياه البحرية … Continue reading →

Solid Waste Management in Kuwait

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With rapid economic growth, solid waste generation is increasing rapidly in Kuwait. Presently, Kuwait is facing serious challenges in solid waste management sector. which is grossly affecting the environmental, economic and social situation in the country in addition to precipitating climate change. The World Bank noted that Kuwait has a very high per capita waste generation of 1.55 kg per day, much higher than the global per capita average of 0.74 kg per day. The predominant solid waste disposal method in Kuwait is landfill burial which act as dumpsites without considering environmental and safety precautions. The land area of Kuwait is … Continue reading →

Thermophilic Composting and its Relevance for MENA

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Thermophilic composting of organic waste is getting increasing attention worldwide because of its ability to convert solid wastes into organic fertilizer within a short period of time. The system consists of an enclosed reactor laced with a microbe-enzyme cocktail. The commonly used microorganisms are naturally occurring bacillus sp., pseudomonas sp, bifidobacterium sp., lactobacillus sp., streptomyces sp., corynbacterium sp etc. Enzymes such as proteinase, keratinase, lipase and cellulose are employed to accelerate the aerobic digestion process. Salient Features The most important feature of thermophilic composting process is its operating temperature range of 70 – 80 °C which eliminates all pathogens and harmful … Continue reading →

Waste Management Perspectives for Oman

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Globalization and modernization have led to increased consumption among the Omani population. Reportedly, the average Omani household throws away one-third of the food it purchases. Conspicuous consumption fuelled by peer pressure and effective advertising brings more goods and products into the home than the family members can actually make use of. And along with the increase in merchandise comes a lot of extra packaging. Product packaging now accounts for the bulk of what is thrown into household rubbish bins. The urge to keep pace with what one’s neighbours, relatives and peers acquire means higher rates of consumption: a new mobile … Continue reading →

Lebanon Waste Management Conference and Expo 2019

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Lebanon Waste Management Conference and Expo 2019 is Lebanon’s largest waste management event scheduled to be held during 9-11 April 2019 at Hilton Beirut Metropolitan Palace, Beirut (Lebanon).  The key objective of the event is to provide a venue for waste management industry, investors, regulators, project developers and academia to discuss major waste management challenges in Lebanon and to explore emerging opportunities and latest developments in local, regional and global contexts. Lebanon Waste Management Conference and Expo is being actively supported and endorsed by Ministry of Environment (Lebanon), International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) and EcoMENA (Qatar), and will be attended … Continue reading →

The Menace of Plastic Water Bottles

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In the Middle East, it is common to see people greatly misuse plastic water bottles considering it free, taking a bottle, sipping it half and throwing it away. These used and partially consumed water bottles are then collected and thrown away in municipal garbage bins from where  it is collected and transported to landfills and waste dumps. These water bottles thus have a high carbon footprint and represent enormous wastage of precious water source and misuse of our other fragile resources. In many cases, these water bottles are being littered around the commercial and religious places. Plastic water bottles are a … Continue reading →

السماد الحيوي

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هو نوع من السماد الذي يحتوي على انواع معينه من ديدان الارض والتي تستخدم لتحسين تحويل الفضلات العضويه لانتاج مواد افضل . في وسط درجه حرارة معتدله هذة العلمية تجري باستخدام كائنات دقيقة و ديدان الارض . تتغذى ديدان الارض على الفضلات العضوية و تمر عبر النظام الهضمي لها و تنتج ما يشبه الشرنقه المطحونه و التي تعرف ب (السماد الحيوي ) ( vermicomposting ) ببساطه , السماد الحيوي هو فضلات الديدان , و يطلق عليها القالب ( الصب )casting  والتي تستطيع ان تحسن صفات التربه الفيزيائية و الكيميائية و البيولوجية , الافرازات الكيميائية للجهاز الهضمي لديدان الارض قادرة على … Continue reading →

Food Waste in Ramadan: Trends and Counter-Measures

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With the holy month of Ramadan starting, preparations are in full swing to make all necessary arrangements by the government, traders and commercial establishments to provide all utilities, goods and food that are required during Ramadan. Muslims countries, Arab nations in particular, generate huge quantities of food waste which increases substantially during the month of Ramadan and festivals whereby the consumption and wastage of food increase at an alarming level. As per conservative estimates, around 15-25% of all food purchased or prepared during Ramadan find its way to the garbage bin before even being used or consumed. In Bahrain alone, … Continue reading →

إدارة نفايات الإسبستوس في الشرق الاوسط

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في كل عام تعمل دول منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا على إستيراد كميات كبيرة من الإسبستوس بهدف إستخدامها في قطاع الإنشاء. و بينما تُمثل منطقة الشرق الأوسط وأفريقيا معاً 20٪ من الطلب العالمي على مادة الإسبستوس بحسب آخر الإحصاءات فإن أكبر المستهلكين لمادة الإسبستوس في المنطقة هما دولتي إيران والإمارات العربية المتحدة. فى الواقع، واردات الأسبستوس في الشرق الأوسط بأكمله تزايدت بشكل مطرد بإستثناء مصر والمملكة العربية السعودية حيث أنهما الدولتان الوحيدتان اللاتي وضعت حظراً على الأسبستوس ولكن  بفعالية مشكوك فيها. وقد بلغت واردات إيران وحدها نحو 30،000 طن من الأسبستوس كل عام. و قد تم استيراد و إستهلاك أكثر … Continue reading →

Minimizing Carbon Footprint of Your DIY Projects

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Most of us take up DIY projects as a hobby. However, did you know that you can take up DIY projects to reduce the carbon footprint of your home? DIY projects offer you the perfect opportunity to reuse things. You can create things yourself. You can use eco-friendly materials and resources to do so. When you take these steps, it will be easy for you to reduce the carbon footprint of your home. You have to change how you do things. When you plan and use such resources, it will be easy to reduce the carbon footprint of your DIY … Continue reading →

E-Waste Management: Perspectives from Egypt

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As the person in charge of reducing my company’s environmental impact and maintaining our ISO 14K certification, I had to find a solution for the ever growing number of discarded mobile phones from our employees, partners and 30+ million customers! I explored almost every initiative related to e-waste management in Egypt. I participated in forums addressing the problem, attended meetings full of great ideas and intentions, met local and expat experts, participated in student competitions offering solutions and contacted overseas entities with great track record like Close The Gap, Umicore and Greencyc. Despite all of these resources, I couldn’t find … Continue reading →

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