Under the directives of Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) yesterday launched the first phase of an integrated waste sorting and recycling program in Qatar. The program will be implemented in four phases until 2022.
Minister of Municipality and Environment, H E Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie was briefed on the progress of the program, its objectives, stages and implementation mechanism during a visit to vehicles and containers used for sorting waste.
On this occasion, the Assistant Undersecretary for General Services Affairs at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment Safar Mubarak Al Shafi stressed that the implementation of the program of sorting and recycling waste comes within the framework of the great attention paid by the Ministry to develop its services in order to preserve the environment and achieve sustainable development, and in implementation of the Ministry’s sustainable strategic plan.
He said that the program aims to reduce the amount of waste and maintain the integrity of the environment and to benefit economically from recycling waste and achieve sustainable development and support the private sector and contribute to the realization of Qatar National Vision 2030.
He explained that the program includes four stages from 2019 to 2022. The first phase, which started yesterday, includes 581 schools, where 1,624 new containers were distributed in cooperation and coordination with specialists in the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, as well as covering health centers, hospitals, banks and financial institutions.
He said that the second phase, which will start next year, covers government agencies, commercial complexes, malls, universities, Karwa bus stops, hotels and parks, the third phase will start in 2021 in the Corniche area and the city of Doha, where an electronic service will be launched to collect recyclable materials from all houses in the country. Al Shafi said that the fourth phase will begin in 2022.
Al Shafi affirmed the ministry’s commitment to the environment, preservation and reduction of environmental damage, stressing that the program of sorting and recycling waste, contributes to the conservation of natural resources and support the private sector companies.
Al Shafi added that the success of the program was directly linked to public cooperation and there would be accompanying awareness programs.
Al Shafi praised the important role of officials in the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, especially school administrations, to make such programs a success.
He said that competitions on sorting waste will be held during April next year and the winning schools will be honoured in special ceremony.
Al Shafi said that there will also be a comprehensive assessment of the efforts of the school administration in the application of the waste sorting program, the extent of its commitment to sorting of waste, maintain safety of containers and their optimal use, where all these elements are included in the evaluation process.
He explained that the Ministry of Municipality and Environment represented by the Public Services Sector will involve the working teams and 25 vehicles to collect the sorted waste and to transport waste to sorting plants, from where it will be delivered to private sector companies according to the regulations followed in the ministry, to support these companies and local factories in the recycling of waste and strengthen environmental sustainability.
Al Shafi revealed a program to place special containers for sorting waste in the school campus which would be unloaded every evening to maintain necessary hygiene for the health of students.
