Dubai: Around 41,000 volunteers collected 12,000 tonnes of waste in Dubai in a week, setting a new record in the Clean Up the World campaign, officials said.
The Dubai Municipality drive was held in multiple areas but most of the waste was collected from Al Warqa and Al Mamzar.
The volunteers who took part between November 9-14 came from government departments, schools, colleges, private companies and other organisations.
The collected waste mostly consisted of general waste and various equipment, and is being “disposed of using the most effective eco-friendly methods,” the municipality said on Thursday.
Salah Amiri, assistant director-general for environmental and public health services sector at the municipality, said: “The cooperation and coordination between different government and private organisations and the community members are vital to the success of environmental programmes and activities organised by the civic body with the aim of creating environmental awareness in various segments of the public.”
He added that the campaign has run for 21 years in Dubai.
Abdul Majeed Saifaie, director of the waste management department, said: “We are extremely proud of our community members who always rise to the expectations of the civic body, cooperating with us to achieve our vision to create an excellent city that provides the essence of success and comfort of sustainable living.”
The municipality has a zero waste goal for Dubai in the “nearest future possible”, Saifaie added.
The goal was announced by Hussain Lootah, director-general of the Municipality, during the launch of this year’s campaign in Al Warqa 5.
Saifaie also praised the participation and partnership of Dulsco during the campaign. Dulsco, the municipality’s official partner in its ‘My City, My Environment’ initiative, achieved a record figure by collecting 400kg of recyclable waste within two hours from 103 residents in Al Mirdif.
