Category Archives: Waste Management

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 →

Solid Waste Management in Oman

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Solid waste management is a challenging issue for the Sultanate of Oman because of limited land availability and adverse impacts on environment and public health. With population of almost 3.9 million inhabitants, Oman generates more than 1.7 million tons of solid waste each year. The average per capita waste generation is more than 1.2 kg per day, which is equivalent to about 4700 tons of municipal waste every day. Solid waste in Oman is characterized by very high percentage of recyclables, primarily paper and cardboard (15%), plastics (20.9%), metals (1.8%) and glass (4%) (Source: Waste Characterization and Quantification Survey, Be’ah, 2013). However the country is … Continue reading →

Medical Waste Management: An Infographic

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Healthcare sector in the Middle East 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 healthcare establishments. The growing amount of medical waste in the Middle East is posing significant public health and environmental challenges across the region. The situation is worsened by improper disposal methods, insufficient physical resources, inefficient medical waste treatment technologies and lack of research on healthcare waste management. This infographic will provide more insights into medical waste management situation in the Middle East. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

النفايات البلاستيكية معضلة العصر

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يبدو أن المجتمع الدولي قرر أن يتبني إستراتيجة موجهة لمكافحة التلوث البلاستيكي بعد أن وصل التلوث بالمواد البلاستيكية الى مستوى الخطر وصار معضلة عصرية يهدد النظام البيئي لكوكب الأرض، ذلك ما تشير إليه الشعارات المتلاحقة التي رفعتها المنظمات الإقليمية والدولية لتدفع بإتجاه صحوة الضمير العالمي، وتوحيد قوى العمل الدولي لبناء إستراتيجية عالمية لموجهة تصاعد خطر التلوث البلاستيكي، وتتمثل تلك الشعارات في الشعار الذي رفعته شبكة يوم الأرض العالمية «إنهاء التلوث البلاستيكي» ليكون عنوان لفعاليات «يوم الأرض العالمي» في 22 ابريل 2018، والشعار الذي رفعته المنظمة الإقليمية لحماية البيئة البحرية «المخلفات البلاستيكية خطر يهدد البيئة البحرية» عنوان لفعاليات يوم البيئة الإقليمي … Continue reading →

Wastes as Energy Resource

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The tremendous increase in the quantum and diversity of waste materials generated by human activities has focused the spotlight on waste management options. Waste generation rates are affected by standards of living, degree of industrialization and population density. Generally, the greater the economic prosperity and the higher percentage of urban population, the greater the amount of waste produced. A good example are the oil-rich GCC nations who are counted among the world's most prolific per capita waste generators. Reduction in the volume and mass of wastes is a crucial issue due to limited availability of final disposal sites in the … Continue reading →

Drilling Waste Management and Cement Industry

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During the exploration and production of oil, huge amounts of drilling wastes are produced in the form of mud and cuttings.  As per conservative estimates, around 0.37 kg of drilling wastes is generated for every barrel of oil produced. The American Petroleum Institute (API) has estimated that approximately 1.21 barrels of total drilling wastes are generated for every foot drilled. The Middle East oil and gas industry has made a lot of effort in order to reduce the environmental impact of their activities; modern drilling methods such as horizontal drilling, navigating the drill bits three dimensionally through the earth, contacting … Continue reading →

Detrimental Effects of Littering

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Littering is a common menace one can witness in all urban areas. Streets, sidewalks, parking lots, roads and highways are mostly covered with food wrappers, soft drink and water bottles, plastic bags, handbills, cigarette butts, tissues, papers and others. Littering is most likely to take place at locations where litter is already ‘present’. Growing Menance Around 1.9 billion tonnes of litter end up in the ocean every year, which clearly shows that people tend to throw things randomly anywhere, more often than they throw waste in garbage bins. Litter is not just an ugly or an aesthetic problem; it has … Continue reading →

The Menace of Marine Litter

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Marine litter, long a neglected topic, has started to garner some attention. Marine litter is composed of a diverse mix of items from various sources and so a one-size fits all solution is unlikely to be effective. Abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), shipping wastes, plastic packaging (bottles, caps, bags, etc.) and plastic manufacturing pellets are amongst the most common and persistent items found. Comparing the feasibility and the financial case for recovery versus prevention for each of these groups reveals a worrying gap in our attempts to deal with the problem. Scale of the Problem Abandoned, lost and discarded fishing … Continue reading →

Role of Reverse Logistics in Waste Management

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Reverse logistics is a process whereby companies can become more environmentally efficient through recycling, reusing, and reducing the amount of materials used. A more holistic view of reverse logistics includes reduction of materials in the forward system in such a way that fewer materials flow back, reuse of materials is possible, and recycling is facilitated. The measures aimed at reducing waste begin in the product design phase and incorporate the entire product life cycle, including transportation and final disposal. This will allow minimizing the waste downstream and allowing the product to go backward in the chain for possible re-manufacturer, reuse, … Continue reading →

Eco-building a Plastic Bottle Village From Rubbish Removal

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This is an inspiring true story that demonstrates a solution to the rubbish removal problem, especially discarded plastic bottles, plaguing our planet! We hope it will encourage and inspire other visionaries to take similar actions around the world! Robert Bezeau moved to the tropical paradise of Bocas del Toro, Panama, after he grew tired of the cold weather in his home country of Canada. He loved Panama, but at the same time, he was dismayed by the rubbish removal left behind by more than 100,000 tourists visiting the area every year. While he walked the beaches, he began collecting discarded … Continue reading →

The Scourge of E-Waste and Potential Remedies

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Daily life has been made far more efficient, and glamorous, as technology improves at phenomenal rates. We are encouraged to go paperless, and drastically reduce waste from paper materials. However, technology has its own waste issues to deal with. Electronic waste (or e-waste), is the fastest growing waste stream, and its disposal is a major environmental concern in all parts of the world. When new technology does out with the old, our current model of disposing of ‘outdated’ technology is harming people, profits and most importantly, the planet. More than 50 million of tons of e-waste is generated globally and the quantity is rapidly … Continue reading →

Food Waste, Ramadan and the Middle East

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With the holy month of Ramadan only a few days away, huge food wastage in the Middle East is again hogging limelight. It is a widely acccepted fact that almost half of the municipal solid waste stream in the Middle East is comprised of food wastes and associated matter. The increasing amount of food waste in the Middle East urgently demands a strong food waste management strategy to ensure its minimization and eco-friendly disposal.  Food Waste in Ramadan Middle East nations are acknowleded as being the world’s top food wasters, and during Ramadan the situation takes a turn for the worse. In 2012, the Dubai Municipality … Continue reading →

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