Dubai - MENA Herald: Dubai Science Park (DSP) and Dubai Internet City (DIC) have partnered with Uber and Averda in an effort to launch an environmental one-of-its-kind e-waste collection drive. Introduced in observance of World Environment Day which is celebrated across the globe on 5 June every year.
The initiative was inspired by the UAE Vision 2021, which seeks to create a cleaner and more sustainable Dubai by transferring 75 per cent of the waste produced in the emirates from landfill for recycling.
From 2 July to 4 July, community members located in Dubai Science Park, Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City, Dubai Knowledge Park, Dubai International Academic City and Dubai Outsource City can request an Uber on-demand using the application to pick up e-waste materials including retired laptops, outdated phones, old printers and monitors. The collected e-waste will be transported to Averda, the global provider of integrated waste management services, which will ensure the disposal and recycling of the collected e-waste materials such as retired phones, outdated laptops and old gadgets in a responsible manner.
Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi, Executive Director at Dubai Science Park, said: “We are pleased to spearhead this important initiative on World Environment Day. Our vibrant science community is home to a number of green businesses within the renewable energy and environment sectors that are positively contributing to reversing the adverse effects of environmental degradation. This campaign raises awareness about the importance of recycling and the role it has in reducing our carbon footprint and creating more sustainable, eco-friendly business practices.”
Delighted about the partnership, Ammar Al Malik, Executive Director of Dubai Internet City, said: “With technology evolving rapidly and device life cycles becoming shorter, we are experiencing an increased amount of e-waste with more than 20 million tons of e-waste generated around the world annually. At DIC, we strongly support environment-friendly solutions as part of our strategic commitment to promoting sustainable, socially responsible practices. Given our strong focus on technology within our community, this is an important subject for us.”
Commenting on the partnership, Christopher Free, General Manager of Uber UAE, said: “This strategic partnership is part of our continuous effort to provide Dubai residents with convenient and reliable technologies for their everyday lives. With a push of a button, and through the UberRECYCLE option in the app, you’ll be able to recycle your e-waste responsibly. This is one more example of how innovation in technology is improving our daily lives.”
Philippa Charlton, Averda’s Chief Marketing Officer, said: “Today, across the world, there is a large quantity of e-waste that is not being collected, treated or disposed of properly. Averda seeks disruptive approaches to increase the recycling and proper handling of e-waste through several campaigns launched in all our markets. Averda is delighted to be involved in this great initiative and awareness drive.”
On average, a UAE resident produces 17.2 kilograms of e-waste every year. In 2015, this amounted to nearly 600,000 tonnes in the region. By 2020, e-waste generation in the GCC is expected to reach a staggering 900,000 tonnes, a UN-sponsored research project found.
World Environment Day, launched by United Nations in 1972, is the biggest annual event for environmental action. Since its inception, global citizens have taken part and organized many thousands of events, from neighbourhood clean-ups, to action against wildlife crime, to replanting forests.
