Malls must segregate waste from May 1

The Dubai Municipality on Wednesday said it will take action against malls not segregating waste at source from May 1. Last year, Khaleej Times had first reported a directive from the municipality’s Waste Management Department that made it mandatory for all malls and supermarkets in the emirate to start implementing waste segregation in colour-coded bins. However, the rule was not implemented in an effective way following which the department extended the deadline to March 1. A senior official had told this paper that tough action would be taken against violators.On Wednesday, the municipality said it has once again issued a circular stipulating that it is mandatory for all shopping malls to properly and effectively segregate the recyclable wastes such as plastic, paper, can, glass, metal and wood from the wastes designated for disposal. They should also get approval on the waste bins used for the waste collection in line with the specifications mentioned in the Technical Instruction No.5 issued by the department, said a statement. Abdul Majeed Abdul Aziz Al Saifaie, Director of the Waste Management Department, said that the shopping malls can deal with the companies authorised by the department that are listed in its updated publication issued in 2011. “The parties concerned should submit monthly report on the quantity and quality of segregated wastes to the department. In case of violation, the articles of Local Order No 11/2003 will be applicable starting from May 1,” he said.  However, he did not explain the articles that would be applicable regarding the penalties for violators. The official pointed out that the municipality had started an experimental initiative to segregate recyclable and organic wastes at source by collecting it directly from houses by placing separate waste bins for each item in collaboration with the private sector companies from this March. “The initiative received immense positive response from the community and is expected to be a big successful practice of the civic body,” Al Saifaie added.