Center of Waste Management Abu Dhabi to roll out second phase of 'Tariff on Waste Producers' programme in March 2013

The second phase of the programme will take the Center forward in its long term objective of reducing waste production from commercial, industrial, construction and demolition activities by 80% of its current volume by 2018. Currently, Abu Dhabi produces approximately 12 million tons of waste per year.

The announcements were made at a press conference that was held by the Center of Waste Management Abu Dhabi.

Launched in 2005, the Nadafa Programme is a regional initiative led by Abu Dhabi and supervised by the Center of Waste Management Abu Dhabi to ensure the sustainable use of natural resources and promote the reduction of waste production at source. Offering a structured approach to waste management through imposing tariffs on waste, the programme monitors and records all activities on waste as part of its effort to overcome the environmental and economic impact of waste.

During the media briefing, the Center of Waste Management Abu Dhabi, stated, "The Tariff on Waste Producers programme reiterates our commitment to driving the Abu Dhabi Vision 2030, which prioritizes the preservation of the environment for the sustainable economic development of the nation. Through implementing the programme, the Center mandates major waste producers including facilities and companies within Abu Dhabi to apply stipulated environment procedures and waste reduction practices including recycling mechanisms in their daily business activities. Companies and institutions that do not conform to the scheme will be penalized."

The Center of Waste Management Abu Dhabi will introduce procedures for general facilities in the emirate producing lower than 250 tons of waste per year. The Center will also follow through with larger enterprises that produce more than 250 tons of waste annually through offering support in the application of best practices in waste management.

In collaboration with the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, the Center of Waste Management Abu Dhabi will guide major facilities and companies in the emirate to use the services of environmental consultants for the purpose of adopting audit procedures in waste management. Registered and approved by the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, the consultants will provide industry insight and guidance on waste reduction.

As part of its 'Waste Reduction is the Best Solution' agenda that aims to collaborate and communicate with strategic partners through awareness building sessions, the Centre recently hosted a workshop on the mechanism of registering and approving environment consultants. Organized in conjunction with Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, the initiative additionally highlighted the benefits of an electronic system that is currently being developed to enable environment consultants submit their e-reports on the progress achieved by companies towards endorsing waste management.

To date, more than 9,500 companies and facilities in Abu Dhabi have registered with the Tariff on Waste Producers programme with around 99% of the registered facilities having completed their procedures. Currently, nearly 60% of the total volume of waste in Abu Dhabi comes from the demolition and construction sector, 20% from the services and commercial sector, and the remaining 7% from allied sectors.

The Center of Waste Management Abu Dhabi through the initiatives and facilities, including facilities for recycling demolitions and construction waste, organic waste, agriculture and oil waste, plastic waste, in addition to used tiers and others, targets to reduce waste production and increase the adoption of reuse and recycle practices in order to position Abu Dhabi as one of the best cities for waste management across the globe.