UAE's Gigantic E-Waste Recycling Facility to Become Operational in Q2 This Year

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, in partnership with private sector, plans to open a massive e-waste recycling facility, which will turn out to one of the largest such facilities in the region. The proposed facility will have a processing capacity of around 39,000 tonnes per annum of electronic waste and is expected to be in operation by the second quarter of 2019.

The announcement to this effect was made by Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE’s Minister of Climate Change and Environment during the 49^th session of the World Economic Forum recently held in Davos, Switzerland.

According to Al Zeyoudi, nearly 50 million tonnes of electrical and electronic waste is generated across the globe every year, out of which only one-fifth is properly recycled. At the current rate, the global e-waste generation is estimated to touch approximately 120 million tonnes by 2050. Incidentally, UAE has turned out to be one of the largest producers of e-waste in the region, especially due to high popularity of modern electronic gadgets among its citizens, Al Zeyoudi noted.

ALSO READ: UN Entities, WEF Join Hands in Efforts to Tackle Mounting E-Waste Threat

Recently, the UAE had issued a federal law on integrated waste management which aims at regulating waste management, disposal methods and using waste for alternative purposes. The UAE Vision 2021, launched in 2010, targets diversion of 75% of all municipal solid waste from landfills by 2021.

Foreseeing the huge e-waste recycling opportunities in the country, Sims Recycling Solutions had recently moved to an expanded location in Jebel Ali Free Zone area, which is almost four times bigger than its previous location.