Tonnes of empty cans pour in as campaign raises eco-awareness

The Emirates Environmental Group has announced plans to hold a popular recycling drive twice a year, instead of only once, following the success of this year's event.

Habiba Al Marashi, group chairman, said the Can Collection Drive, which took place yesterday, had received such huge support that they were looking at holding it halfway through the campaign year, as well as at the end.

She said: "We listen to what our supporters say.

"At this year's event we heard lots of people say that they were struggling to find space to store their aluminium cans.

"So maybe it's about time we held them more often."

This year's drive celebrates the end of the eighth successful can campaign for the Dubai-based environmental team.

"The can recycling campaign seems to go from strength to strength.

"It is becoming more popular and is hailed a huge success each year," said Habiba.

This year there were five collection points based in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah and for the first time in Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah.

The collection point in Dubai was at the Creek Park. All points functioned between 9am and 12pm yesterday and people of all ages flooded through the gates and joined the queues to hand over their cans.

This year the drive yielded 5,200kg of cans (1 kg = 75 empty cans). More than 50 schools and universities, 15 companies and 30 families took part in the drive. Hundreds of participants in all the locations responded to the message: You Can Change Your World!

Volunteers from the group weighed the cans on the spot and the data will now be added to the Can Collection Campaign data for 2004-2005.

Habiba said: "We will now select the people who have donated the most and they will be rewarded with prizes and certificates at a ceremony in June."

A group spokesman said: "The Can Collection Drive is a good opportunity for people from all walks of life to participate and show their support and commitment to preserve and protect the environment."

In March this year, Gulf News reported that Dubai's per capita waste output is the world's highest followed by the United States.

The report revealed plastic grocery bags, soft-drink cans and paper are rarely recycled. The municipality developed a campaign in 1997 to reduce garbage. The campaign was dubbed Target 555 and hoped to bring down the garbage generated to 555kg per person (which is the standard for the EU's Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development) within four years.

The garbage generated per capita eight years ago was 725kg. Instead of being reduced, the amount of waste increased and, according to the most recent figures, it is now more than double the targeted reduction goal.

Today, every person in the country generates 1,250kg of trash annually.

The UAE has one of the highest levels of consumption in the world, with about one billion aluminium cans and glass and plastic bottles discarded every year.