Dh770m contracts for Capital’s waste management

Dh770m contracts for Capital’s waste management Silvia Radan (silvia@khaleejtimes.com) / 27 May 2013 Two contracts worth Dh770 million have been awarded by the Centre of Waste Management — Abu Dhabi (CWM) to cleaning service providers. Apart from cleaning and removing domestic waste, the new five-year contracts also stipulate technical procedures for reducing waste at source, maximising recycling practices and decreasing waste transferred to landfills. Acting General Manager at the  Centre of Waste Management — Abu Dhabi Dr Salem Al Kaabi said: “Awarding new contracts is in line with our plans to provide unmatched services to the community in Abu Dhabi.  It also compliments our strategic objectives to maintain a sustainable environment through leveraging the practices of reuse and recycle. “Both contracts will start from January 15 next year. For the time being, the company in charge of cleaning services is West Coast,” Ibrahim Taher, solid waste specialist at CWM, told Khaleej Times. West Coast – Saubermacher Environmental Services will continue to keep part of the Abu Dhabi emirate tidy, as it is one of the two companies to be rewarded the new contracts.  “As part of the contract, Delma Island, which falls in Lot 4, will witness the deployment of enhanced technologies, given its status as a coveted natural reserve of Abu Dhabi,” said Mubarak Al Amri, director of Waste Collection Projects at CWM. The second contract was awarded to Alphamed – Lobbe – IFEU, which will take over the cleaning services of Abu Dhabi’s Lot 3. This covers the areas of Abu Dhabi island to Dubai, Al Ain and Western Region (Musaffah) borders. As per contracts, both companies are not only responsible for the collection and transfer of waste, but also for the cleaning of streets, coasts and beaches. “For the time being, we are doing the recyclable waste separation, after the waste has been collected. From next year, though, this will change. It will be the cleaning company’s responsibility to separate the waste at source,” explained Taher. Green recyclable bins are already provided by CWM in most residential areas, but they are rarely used properly by residents. CWM hopes to change this through awareness leaflets explaining what rubbish should be placed in which bin. The companies have also been tasked with the collection and management of construction and demolition waste. Under the agreement, the companies have to provide the necessary bins, as well as the vehicles and equipment, of which they will have full ownership. In line with the new contracts, a call centre and a database management system will be implemented for the purpose of customer satisfaction measurement.   Taylor Scott International