EEG surpasses target with 12000KG of cans collected in nation's biggest can collection campaign

This year, EEG finally breaks the elusive 10 tonne target it sets every cycle for its Can Collection Campaign (CCC).

The total of 7250kg of aluminium cans collected at the Drive from 9 sites across all seven Emirates brings the grand total of 12000KG collected for the 2007-2008 Cycle of the CCC.

The event heralded the growing proactive support and mass mobilisation of individuals across all sectors for overcoming the critical issue of domestic waste.

More significantly, the UAE has one of the highest global rates of domestic waste generation, and EEG's initiatives to popularise waste management takes on added urgency as the nation grows in population and resource consumption increases.

Thousands of tons of aluminium cans are discarded annually in the UAE.

According to EEG Chairperson Habiba Al Marashi, "If the Can Collection Drive can help to show the path forward by helping to recycle aluminium, EEG's objective behind the activity will be realised. I would like to highlight the admirable schools from Al Silaa who braved the arduous heat and a six hour long drive to Abu Dhabi just to contribute to the Drive. The corporate community should borrow a leaf from their book and take positive action.

Through a single drive, the environment will gain major benefits in the long run. It will help to correct attitudes, change wasteful and thoughtless habits, build sustainable approaches to consumption, and increase the community's capacity for environment protection."

The large quantity thus collected from the Drive alone will not only divert a substantial quantity of waste away from landfill sites, but will simultaneously stop potentially hazardous items from reaching the environment and causing pollution, leaching, and contamination.

The Drive officially concludes the current cycle of the annual Can Collection Campaign.

The Can Collection Campaign, launched by EEG in 1997, is among the first successful community waste segregation activities ever to be initiated in the United Arab Emirates.

However, there is still considerable public ignorance and apathy about the benefits of collecting waste for recycling.

However, recycling is slowly becoming a desirable way of fulfilling environmental responsibilities in the UAE.

The positive impact of recycling aluminium cans is apparent in many ways - helping in the recovery of secondary raw materials, reducing energy and water consumption associated with manufacturing from primary raw materials, diverting waste away from landfills and reducing pollution.

It can be termed a 'sustainable' activity. EEG's campaigns on waste reduction and recycling provide an opportunity for everyone to be environmentally-active.

The number of participation in its programmes has increased manifold and to date, EEG have placed more than 140 recycling centres in the UAE.

At this year's Drive, participants comprising of students and teachers, representatives of public and private sectors, as well as members of the community continuously streamed in to drop-off sites.

People from all backgrounds, ages and nationalities came together on the day to support EEG's mission to protect the environment.

Necessary arrangements were made by EEG to make the event an enjoyable and a meaningful one.

Ample bottles of cold water, chilled juices and light snacks were provided to participants and volunteers, as they worked tirelessly to help in unloading, weighing and transporting bag after bag of cans. Marquees were set up to provide shade.

The main sponsors of Can Collection Drive 2008 were Al Safi Club for Friends of the Environment and, as EEG welcomes for the first time to the Drive, Empower, a committed local organisation.

The Drive was supported by Dubai Municipality, Umm Al Quwain Municipality, Fujairah Municipality, and Ajman Municipality, RAK Free Trade Zone and Radisson SAS Sharjah.

The supporting Municipalities annually provide logistical support at their respective sites with skips, trucks and labour to support the Campaign. EEG also used its own truck, 'Greeny', in collecting cans from the rest of the locations.

Auxiliary collection skips and hauling trucks in Sharjah and at Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai were provided by Lucky Recycling.

Al Safi Danone and Masafi Mineral Water teamed up to deliver refreshments at all sites.

Abela & Co joined EEG for the second time in this campaign and also contributed delicious light snacks for Dubai participants, as did Radisson SAS in Sharjah.

Additional support to publicize the event included dedicated half pages media adverts for the Drive from the local English papers; i.e. Khaleej Times, Gulf News and 7 Days; as well as the Arabic press. Poster designs were provided by JWT Dubai.

All participants and supporting organisations will be felicitated in a grand function on June 5 that will commemorate the World Environment Day.

Top winners of the campaign will get prizes and the contribution of every supporting organisation will be recognised.