Commemorating the international environmental awareness date of Earth Day, Dulsco – the leading environmental solutions provider and Official Waste Management partner of Expo 2020 Dubai – hosted ‘Clean-up 4 a Purpose’ – a clean-up and recycling activity in collaboration with Expo 2020 Dubai and environmental campaigning organisation, DGrade, with a total of half a ton of waste collected from the desert.

Held in the Al Qudra region, ‘Clean-up 4 a Purpose’ was hosted in conjunction with DGrade’s ‘Simply Bottles’ – a non-profit initiative that works with schools, businesses and other organisations to increase recycling rates of plastic water bottles in the UAE.

The event saw 300 volunteers taking part in a pledge to ‘Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle,’ thereby undertaking to adopt environmental consciousness in their lives. By spreading awareness, the event demonstrated at a micro-level how Dulsco’s partnership with Expo 2020 Dubai will help deliver 85 per cent waste diversion from landfill in the lead up to and during the event, supporting the UAE’s aim to host one of the world’s most sustainable World Expos to date.

“Dulsco regularly organises clean-ups in urban environments and on beaches as part of its extensive community engagement programme, but today’s activity was particularly significant for us as it commemorated Earth Day – one of the world’s most significant environmental awareness dates in the global environmental awareness calendar. It also revealed what we are aiming to achieve with our Expo 2020 Dubai waste diversion programme, which is central to our role as Official Waste Management Partner,” said David Stockton, CEO and Managing Director, Dulsco.

“As part of our partnership, Dulsco will help Expo 2020 Dubai achieve its target of 85 per cent waste diversion from landfill at the site and support the 75 per cent waste recycling target set out in UAE Vision 2021. The ‘Clean-up 4 a Purpose’ activity was instrumental, as it revealed how we can achieve this figure by creating more responsible consumers through education, awareness and action. It all helps us in our objective to support the UAE’s aim to host one of the most sustainable World Expos ever and create a long-lasting legacy, setting a new benchmark for other countries to emulate,” added Stockton.

Dina Mustafa, Head of Sustainability Operations at Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “Sustainability is a key focus for us as we seek to inspire a more sustainable mindset within communities to create positive global impact. This is a demanding task, which requires collaboration with partners and industry leaders to raise awareness – at a grassroots level – on the importance of responsible consumerism and leading sustainable lifestyles. Community engagement activities such as ‘Clean-up 4 a Purpose’ are a step in the right direction as we look to shape a better world for generations to come.”

“We turn used plastic water bottles, considered as waste by most people, into a resource by recycling it into a high-quality yarn and producing clothing. Our Simply Bottles recycling initiative is being run with more than 80 schools in Dubai, as part of our commitment to contribute to a sustainable UAE. Through this initiative we create awareness of plastic pollution and provide a solution by facilitating plastic recycling. Through education, and events like this clean-up, we aim to encourage students to be environmentally responsible and empower them to see that they can make a difference”, said Kris Barber, Founder of DGrade.

Two hundred and fifty school children and their teachers from various schools in Dubai, along with 50 employees, volunteers and partners from Dulsco, Expo 2020 Dubai and DGrade took part in the event. The morning’s activities were divided amongst collecting the waste from open areas, segregating the recyclables in separate bags, and recording the weight of the material collected. The recyclables were then transported to Dulsco’s Material Recovery Facility for further segregation and recycling. The desert cleaners were also handed branded caps made out of recycled plastic bottles – wearable proof of what can be achieved with effective plastic recycling.

‘Clean-up 4 a Purpose’ got underway with an awareness session on the different types of waste to be collected, the negative impact of waste on the environment, and the importance of recycling, followed with the volunteers keenly returning the desert area to its natural beauty. Once all the waste had been collected, sorted and weighed, recyclables such as cans, glass and metal would then be recovered in order to be made into new products through approved recyclers, while plastic bottles would be turned into apparel through DGrade.

At the close of the morning, a total of half a ton of waste was collected, with all participants handed a certificate for completing the activity and being part of the initiative. Dulsco concluded the activity by announcing a future workshop for artists and children on turning waste into art. The events also align with Dulsco’s core commitment to powering better communities to play a central role in sustainable development in Dubai, the UAE and the region.