COMMUNITY ENGINE OF ABU DHABI'S CLEAN FUTURE

Recycling in the UAE depends less on infrastructure and more on changing everyday behaviour

- BY ABDELWAHED JUMA | Special to Gulf News

Each year, the UAE generates millions of tonnes of waste, yet only a small fraction is ever recycled. Less than five per cent of plastic waste is mechanically recycled, and around two-thirds of aluminium cans still end up in landfill.

These figures tell a deeper story. Despite significant investment in waste management systems and infrastructure, too much that could be reused or repurposed continues to be discarded. The challenge is no longer one of technology, it is one of behavioural change. How we think, act, and take responsibility will define whether sustainability becomes a lived reality or remains an aspiration.

Real progress will not come from more bins, trucks, or collection routes, but from people who choose to act differently. Behavioural change is vital to shifting mindsets and ensuring waste is disposed of responsibly.

Every item we sort correctly, every bottle we recycle, and every conversation that raises awareness takes us one step closer to a cleaner, more circular future. Sustainability begins when responsibility stops being invisible and becomes part of our daily lives.

Across the globe, more than 2.1 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste are generated each year, a figure projected to rise to 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050. Waste contributes between 3 and 5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, exceeding the output of the aviation sector. In the UAE, each person produces an average of 1.8 kilograms of waste per day, making the issue both urgent and deeply personal.