5,000kg of aluminium cans collected in green drive

 

 

“These people collected aluminium cans from their homes, neighbourhoods, offices, schools and some even visited restaurants and hotels.  We highly appreciate their strong commitment to work for a cleaner and ‘greener’ environment,” said EEG Chairperson Habiba Al Marashi. The EEG-initiated activity resulted in the collection of 5,000kg of aluminium cans redirected from being dumped in landfills and sent for recycling.

 

 

A total of 7,700kg of alumimium cans were collected during the same period last year, which showed a decline of 35 per cent collection this year.

 

 

“Inculcating the culture of recycling is the ultimate goal of this exercise. We want to create a society with a sense of responsibility and amity to save our Mother Earth’s natural resources,” said EEG Chairperson Habiba Al Marashi.

 

 

“As we believe that raising environmental awareness is foremost in bringing about a greener future, we highly appreciate those who participated in our activity today and we urge those who did not to commit themselves to participate in our next Can Collection Drive,” she added.

 

 

The Can Collection Day is one of the action days organised by EEG as part of its Waste Management Programme. Another Can Collection Drive is slated for ?May 5.

 

 

The Emirates Environmental Group is now in its 15th cycle of the annual Can Collection Campaign.

 

 

A total of 148.7 metric tonnes of aluminium cans have been collected since September 1997, which resulted in the mitigation of around 2,231.611 MT CO2 and has saved an estimated energy of 33,836.27 billion MTU.

 

 

The top collectors in the Can Collection Campaign, along with sponsors, supporters and volunteers, will be awarded during EEG’s Annual Prize Giving Ceremony on June five, in celebration of the World Environment Day.

 

 

Al Marashi pointed out that empty beverage cans are not waste material but valuable raw material.

 

 

“Recycling aluminum needs only five per cent of the energy required to derive it from its raw material bauxite ore,” she said.

 

 

However, an estimated half a billion beverage cans are sold annually in the UAE, but only five per cent of these cans are sent for recycling, as against the average 63 per cent recycled worldwide.

 

 

“Although our recycling campaign has continuously gained momentum in rallying support from various sectors in our society, we have a lot of things to do to intensify the level of environmental awareness of the majority of our residents,” Al Marashi said.