20,000 volunteers to clean up Dubai in 4-day drive

Clean Up the World 2008, which is observed under the banner: "Start Today...Save Tomorrow," is held from 18 to 21 November.

Dubai Municipality has unveiled the campaign's activities in a press conference on Wednesday at Grand Hyatt attended by Eng. Hassan Makki, Director of Waste Management Department and Eng. Yaqoob Al Ali, Coordinator of the campaign.

Also present were representatives of the event's sponsors including Wadih Boustani, General Manager for Sales and Marketing at Gulf Eternit Industries, Saif Mohammed Al Mazroui, Director of Community Relations and Communications, Al Habtoor Group, Senan Abdullah Mohammed Al Naboodah, Managing Director, Al Naboodah Contracting - Building Division, Mohammed Angawi, Environment Manager, Tetra Pak Arabia, J S A Bukhari, Executive Director, Zenath Recycling & Waste Management LLC of ETA ASCON Group and Paul J Murphy, Director of Events, Grand Hyatt.

"Dubai Municipality is committed to improve public cleanliness in the emirate in cooperation with individuals, government establishments, private firms and non-governmental organisations through effective participation."

said Mr. Makki.

He noted that it is the 15th consecutive year that Dubai is organizing the campaign which has such noble objectives as forging a sense of mutual cooperation among organisations and institutions concerned with environment in planning and executing environment action programmes, enhancing environment awareness of the community on waste reduction and recycling issues, ensuring participation of institutions and individuals in environment programmes, cleaning up the local environment, and encouraging team-work in finding lasting solutions for the growing waste problem.

Makki recalled that Dubai Municipality had received Sharjah Award for Voluntary Activities in 2004 in the government departments' category.

"The campaign also seeks to encourage media to focus on environment protection activities thereby enhancing awareness of governments and industries with regard to local environment issues such as waste reduction, recycling and safe disposal of waste."

he said.

Makki also thanked the sponsors of the campaign, Al Naboodah Group, Al Habtoor Group, ETA, Gulf Eternit Industries, Grand Hyatt, adding that these contributions and participations showcase the spirit of cooperation between the public and private sector in the country in achieving success to the environmental awareness activities organized by Dubai Municipality.

Makki said the department has lined up a host of activities for the opening of the campaign on 18 November.

He said the Municipality has been actively participating in this world initiative since 1994.

"In the beginning it was only 200 people who participated in the campaign, however, last year the number reached 18,000 represented by different categories of the society, organizations, establishments, government bodies and individuals," he said.

Preparations for the clean up are already under way with the Municipality trying to facilitate an even greater level of participation than last year.

In 2007, more than 18,000 persons participated in removing 4,000 tonnes of waste including debris and abandoned vehicle from various areas.

Shedding light on various activities of the campaign, Yaqoob Al Ali, campaign coordinator, said apart from Dubai Municipality, several government departments, NGOs, and voluntary organisations are participating in this year's campaign.

The official launch of the event will be held on Tuesday 18 November 2008 at the Heritage Village, Shindagha with senior government officials and representatives of the sponsors attending.

The opening day event, which will begin at 9.45 a.m., will also include environment-themed stage presentation by school students, air show on Dubai Creek, Dubai Police Band presentation, recreation programmes for students through workshops, Think Tank Magazine Awards programme for students, marine clean up activities at the creek and awarding and distribution of certificates and souvenirs.

The second day's (Wednesday, 19 Nov) activities, to be held at Nadd Al Hammer, 9th Street, will start from 9.30am onwards and include clean up by volunteers from government educational institutions.

The programme will include clean up activity by government institutions at Nadd Al Hammer, distribution of litter bins to schools, waste paper collection competition for government institutions and awarding of participants and the distribution of certificates and souvenirs.

In addition to this, abandoned vehicles removal programme will be held in coordination with the operations unit.

On the third day (Thursday, 20 November), volunteers from private schools, colleges, and universities will participate in can collection competition at Ras Al Khor Bird Sanctuary Area from 9.30am onwards.

Also on this day, pest control companies in Dubai will participate in the campaign by undertaking pest control activities in various areas.

The last day of the campaign (Friday, 21 Nov) will see thousands of volunteers from the general public including private company staff, non-governmental organisations, community groups and private entities joining hands in cleaning up Nadd Al Shiba Area and various other sites.

Also on Friday, a clean up will be organized by the Filipino community at Mamzar Beach area from 9.15 am onwards.

The awareness programmes, organized on the sidelines of the campaign at one of the shopping malls, include workshops for general public on recycling and reducing waste, environmental workshops on making usable materials from waste, broadcasting campaign programmes on school radios, collection of used materials, lectures in schools on the importance of waste reduction, and arranging visits for students to waste recycling factories.

The Environment and Health Awareness Office will organize special awareness programmes for Dubai Municipality staff including an email contest.

Some 20,000 high-quality T-shirts and more than 10,000 caps, printed with the campaign's logo, will be distributed among the volunteers.

Addressing the press conference, Mohammed Angawi, Environment Manager, Tetra Pak Arabia, said: "We are delighted to join the Dubai Municipality in the Clean Up The World drive for the second consecutive year. Tetra Pak Arabia is dedicated to protecting the communities it operates in and this partnership highlights our commitment to a sustainable environment."

Paul J Murphy said Grand Hyatt is very much happy to be hand in hand with Dubai Municipality in this campaign as it is keen to involve in environmental protection campaigns.

"We have been implementing several measures in our hotel towards the protection of the environment during the past years," he said.

Senan Abdullah Mohammed Al Naboodah, Managing Director, Al Naboodah Contracting - Building Division said: "For the last 14 years the Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah Group has been involved in the CLEAN UP THE WORLD programme. Led by Dubai Municipality, the Group is delighted to again be one of the event's main sponsors alongside other like-minded organisations across the UAE."

Saif Mohammed Al Mazroui, Director of Community Relations and Communications, Al Habtoor Group said: "As part of Al Habtoor Group mission in protecting the environment the company is sponsoring "Clean up the World" campaign in Dubai, UAE in partnership with Dubai Municipality. We at Al Habtoor Group believe that we must be diligent in our efforts to keep the UAE at the forefront of environmental protection and resource efficiency, improving our surroundings and making the UAE a better place to live and visit. Protecting our environment and preserving the UAE natural beauty for future generations is a top priority for everyone who lives in the UAE."

J S A Bukhari, Executive Director, Zenath Recycling & Waste Management LLC of ETA ASCON Group said: "Through this campaign, Dubai Municipality strives to inculcate in all of us, particularly among the younger generation, a sense of commitment to safeguard the environment which is rapidly corrupted by various types of pollutions."

The Clean Up the World campaign originated in Australia and was the brainchild of Ian Kiernan who organized a clean up of Sydney harbour in 1989.

He was moved by the significant amount of marine litter that he noticed while sailing in the BOC Challenge solo around-the-world race in 1987.

Encouraged by the harbour clean up in which 40,000 people participated, he organized Clean Up Australia Day the following year.

In 1993, with support and funding from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the California based EGBAR foundation, Clean Up the World was launched with 30 million people from 80 countries participating in the first clean-up.

Since then it has been held every year and has not stopped growing.