my
Printed on recycled paper
For a green tomorrow.
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Planting the Seed
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Bee’ah – Our Progress
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Environmentality
P14 Getting Involved
S U M M E R I S S U E •V O L 1
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Community Talk
Planting the Seed
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To most people, ‘talking rubbish’ isn’t a good thing. At Bee’ah, it’s our passion! From discovering the easiest ways to cut down Sharjah’s litter to coming up with creative ideas on recycling and re-using the emirate’s plastic, paper, glass and aluminium, we’re always discussing ways to reduce waste. In fact, we’re so passionate about rubbish that we’ve bought the world’s best recycling machinery to transform residents’ litter into items that can be used again and again! Bee’ah would love you to be as passionate about countering waste and protecting the environment as we are. For the first issue of My Bee’ah newsletter, we’ve been working around the clock to get the low-down on everything environment to make reducing, re-using and recycling as fun and easy as possible. From recycling the weirdest items in your house (see page 13) to showing your city some love (see page 11) and even learning the basics of recycling (see page 12), we’ve got your waste issues covered. Oh, and don’t forget to go to page 15 to meet Sharjah’s very own recycling super-champions!
When ordering take-out food at home, tell the restaurant you don’t need plastic knives and forks, straws or napkins. Every little bit counts!
Because Bee’ah is devoted to the environment, it’s committed to the community too. We’ve been getting our hands dirty at schools and environmentally focused events around Sharjah (see page 3). If you’ve got an environmental event coming up (or even if you don’t) we’d love to hear from you! Drop an email to: marketing@beeah-uae.com Here’s to working together for a greener future!
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What have We Been up to? It’s been a busy year so far! From classrooms to Al Qasba, we’ve been traversing the emirate to share, inspire and nurture – all in the name of green!
F E B R UA RY Bee’ah was the platinum sponsor at this year’s Conference on Biodiversity Conservation in the Arabian Peninsula. The conference – held on February 3rd and 4th at the American University of Sharjah – was organised under the patronage of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council, Ruler of Sharjah and President of the American University of Sharjah, and hosted by the Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA) of the Government of Sharjah.
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Bee’ah collects about 3 million tons of construction materials from building demolition sites across the UAE. All piled up, that figure would take up as much space as 900 Toyota Land Cruisers parked next to each other.
MARCH
In honour of the planet, Bee’ah took part in Earth Hour on March 27th in Al Qasba, the premiere cultural, entertainment and tourist destination in the emirate of Sharjah.
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H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi visits the Bee’ah Waste Management Complex at Al Saj’ah
His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, visited Bee’ah’s Waste Management Complex at Al Saj’ah (WMC) in March. Sheikh Sultan was said to be enthusiastic about Bee’ah’s achievements and eager to speed up the development of the organisation’s medical waste treatment and electronic waste recycling plants.
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APRIL
Bee’ah took part in the first American University of Sharjah Alumni Business Forum and Career Fair on April 13th. The event was held under the patronage of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council, Ruler of Sharjah and President of the American University of Sharjah.
Bee’ah’s Environmental Officer, Meera Taryam, inspired students to take action on environmental issues – including ecological footprint, waste and air pollution – at the American University of Sharjah’s annual Environment Day on April 15th. This year’s theme was ‘Our Environment, Our Life’.
M AY On May 9th the Sharjah International American School (SIAS) organised an environment day to raise students’ awareness of their natural surroundings. All recycling bins and branded T-shirts supplied on the day were provided by Bee’ah.
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M AY Under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Mohammed Al Qasimi and in association with the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, Bee’ah also organised an environmental awareness campaign for women. The successful month-long campaign – which started on May 2nd – saw over 100 women attending and helped raise awareness of their natural surroundings through a series of training workshops that offered fun and simple tools for greening their homes.
Bee’ah also attended the Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research (KUSTAR) Career Fair in search of highly talented students to join its company. The fair was held on May 15th and took place at KUSTAR’s Sharjah campus. KUSTAR is one of the UAE’s leading higher education institutions that specialises in technical studies.
Bee’ah sponsored the two-day Career Fair 2010 – organised by the Sharjah Higher Colleges of Technology under the auspices of Bee’ah – on May 17th & 18th. The fair was inaugurated by Dr. Farid Ohan, Director of the Sharjah Higher Colleges of Technology, and showcased exciting workshops for over 2,500 students.
Use re-usable containers to store your food instead of wrapping it up in foil or plastic. Use rags instead of paper napkins to clean up spills.
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M AY Bee’ah and the American University of Sharjah (AUS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding at a special ceremony at the AUS campus on May 30th. Signed by Bee’ah’s General Manager Khaled Al Huraimel and AUS Chancellor Dr. Peter Heath, the agreement will see the two organisations working together over a wide variety of areas including recruitment, internships, sponsorships, lectures, recycling programmes, the State of the Environment Report (SOTER) and more.
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JUNE
Bee’ah celebrated World Environment Day by launching the successful ‘I Love Sharjah’ campaign. Held on June 4th in Al Qasba, Sharjah, Bee’ah organised entertainment for 1,500 environmental champions of all ages and inspired them to think green, reduce, re-use and recycle. The event was held in partnership with the Al Qasba Development Authority.
Bee’ah’s state-of-the-art Material Recovery Facility (MRF) is where the paper, plastic, cans and bottles you throw away end up. Bee’ah’s environmental ambassadors sort through around 600 tons of rubbish every day, separating plastic, paper and aluminium. All the collected material is recycled and put back into the region’s economy so you can use it again.
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H.E. Dr. Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahad visits the Bee’ah Waste Management Complex at Al Saj’ah
The UAE’s Minister of Environment and Water, His Excellency Dr. Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahad, paid a visit to Bee’ah’s facilities along with several other delegates on June 27th. The delegation toured Bee’ah’s Material Recovery Facility (MRF), Construction and Demolition Waste Recycling Facility (CDW), Compost Production Facility, Tyre Recycling Facility (TRF) at the Bee’ah Waste Management Complex at Al Saj’ah (WMC). The Minister was said to be impressed that all the recyclable material from the plant is put back into the regional economy for recycling and re-use.
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Bee’ah
Our Progress:
Bee’ah started its journey in 2007 armed with a pledge to boost Sharjah’s standard of living and ensure that the emirate became the region’s green pioneer. Since then, we’ve employed 500 environmental ambassadors, set up 1,500 three-stream public recyclers across Sharjah, established our street cleaning and city beautification arm Tandeef and taken over the
management and operation of the Waste Management Complex at Al Saj’ah (WMC). It’s not always been easy, but it’s certainly been fulfilling! Bee’ah’s state-of-the-art recycling facilities have been put in place to help transform Sharjah’s rubbish into other items that can be used over and over again. We take you through the transformation…
In the Beginning The Al Saj’ah Waste Management Complex (WMC) – where Bee’ah is based - has one of the largest landfills in the region and has
processed about 2.5 million tons of waste in 2009 alone! Bee’ah took over the management of the landfill in May 2009.
Making a Change Bee’ah’s state-of-the-art Material Recovery Facility (MRF) is where the paper, plastic, cans and bottles you throw away end up. Bee’ah’s environmental ambassadors sort through
around 600 tons of rubbish everyday, separating plastic, paper and aluminium. All the collected material is recycled and put back into the region’s economy so you can use it again.
Save the Tyres, Save the Track! Bee’ah’s Tyre Recycling Facility (TRF) – the first plant of its kind in the Middle East – sees 4,500 tyres coming through its doors everyday! Using environmentally friendly
technology, the TRF transforms these old tyres into crumb rubber which is used to make rubber flooring tiles for parks, running tracks, golf courses, gymnasiums and more.
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Walking on a Building Bee’ah’s Construction and Demolition Waste Recycling Facility (CDW) recycles bulky construction materials collected from building demolition sites.
The concrete chunks get broken down into smaller stones and gravel that are used to make roads, pavements, paths and much more.
Environmental Ambassadors Bee’ah staff are its most important assets. The environmental ambassadors we hire know how important they are to the emirate – and the planet – and want the
community to join them on their quest to a greener future. Bee’ah started out with 30 people and hopes to hire another 1,000 talented people by the end of 2010.
Three-stream Recyclers If you’ve driven or walked around Sharjah, you’ve probably noticed Bee’ah’s three-stream public recyclers dotted throughout the city. We started off with 52 recyclers in August 2008 and now have 1,500 of them situated in easy-to-access locations across the emirate. These public recyclers have
been set up to help make recycling easier for you. All you need to do is separate your waste into paper, glass, plastic and other general trash, bring it to your nearest Bee’ah recyclers and put each into the right slot. We hope to add another 5,000 recyclers to Sharjah’s streets in the next two years.
Check your car’s tyre pressure regularly. This preserves the life of your tyres and makes your car more fuel efficient.
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Tandeef While Bee’ah’s recyclers kickstart the recycling process, Bee’ah’s city beautification arm Tandeef makes it happen. Tandeef was brought to life earlier this year
and is in charge of collecting the waste from our recyclers and sweeping Sharjah’s streets. We hope to take Tandeef’s services to the rest of the emirate soon.
Bee’ah Waste Management Complex at Al Saj’ah Bee’ah took over management of the Waste Management Complex at Al Saj’ah (WMC) last year. Featuring two recycling and processing plants, the Waste Management Complex not only stores the emirate’s waste, but also takes care of recycling the trash and
putting it back into the economy for re-use in a different form. Bee’ah’s environmental ambassadors sort and recycle household waste at one plant, while used tyres are transformed into rubber for flooring tiles in parks, running tracks, gyms, horse-racing arenas and more.
Wekaya Medical and Hazardous Waste Processing Facility – Wekaya. It is the latest addition to the Bee’ah family and, once it’s up and running, will make sure that all Sharjah’s medical waste – from clinics and hospitals – are collected and thrown away properly.
Workshops and Seminars Bee’ah believes that just by learning about the natural environment, you’re already making a difference. If you’d like to find out more about the three R’s – Reduce, Re-use, Recycle – we can organise a tailor-made environmental workshop or seminar at your school or business. The
workshops will show you what the technical side of recycling is all about and how you can start making a noticeable difference to your environment at home, school and work. We’ve also got some exciting educational web additions coming up in the next few months, so watch this space!
If you’d like to book a seminar or workshop – or just want more information on Bee’ah’s initiatives – please send us an e-mail: marketing@beeah-uae.com
Environmentality
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The ‘I Love Sharjah’ campaign is your campaign; it’s a way to show your love for the emirate. We believe you can make a massive difference to the environment by becoming aware of it, being proud of it, taking active care of it and spreading your knowledge of it to friends and family. Sharjah’s intrinsic values embrace honesty, courtesy and hospitality. These give our emirate an
extraordinary leadership role in the realms of culture and education. Let’s ensure our emirate becomes the region’s environmentallyfriendly role model. Start today by making the decision to reduce, re-use and recycle. Bee'ah has set up 1,500 easy-to-access three-stream public recyclers across the emirate to help you get going. Let’s work together for a greener future.
Show Your City Some Love • Ditch the plastic – The next time you go grocery shopping, use re-useable bags instead of the usual plastic ones. • Help someone – Haul out the clothing you hardly wear anymore and start a ‘pile-for-charity’. Ask your friends or family to add to the pile and then donate it to a local charity. • Go for a walk – Take a garbage bag with you the next time you head out for an evening stroll on the corniche. Pick up any stray can, bottle or paper. You won’t just be helping the environment; you’ll be getting a workout too!
• Plant a tree – Visit your local nursery, find out which trees are good for Sharjah’s soil and then plant one at your school, university or in your garden. (Ghaf trees are generally encouraged in the UAE.) • Separate your rubbish – If you keep your plastic, paper, glass and aluminium rubbish in different recyclers, you’ll make it much easier to recycle. Bee’ah has set up 1,500 three-stream recyclers across Sharjah, so keep an eye out for the one closest to your home.
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Keeping it Clean If you’d like to take your rubbish to one of Bee’ah’s three-stream public recyclers this weekend but still aren’t entirely sure what goes where, have no fear! We’ve compiled this easy-to-read diagram that shows you where to put your recyclable items.
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Your house is probably filled with things that can be recycled and re-used rather than just thrown away. The next time you’re doing a spring clean, ask yourself, ‘Do I really need to trash this?’ 4. DVDs and CDs – Over 30 billion CDs and DVDs are manufactured each year and most of these end up in landfills. Recycle the DVDs you don’t watch anymore and turn them into building materials and auto parts.
1. Jeans - You probably wouldn’t think to recycle your jeans but old baby-blues can be transformed into funky stuff. Think pot holders, quilts, book covers, picture frames and even patches for jeans that need a mend.
5. Tyres – Billions of tyres are dumped on the world’s landfills every month, yet all of these can be recycled into non-toxic, non-abrasive rubber-based material that forms part of flooring products in playgrounds, parks, equestrian tracks and schools.
6 weird items
you could recycle
2. Unwanted gifts – Hate your birthday gift and don’t know what to do with it? Most local libraries will accept second-hand books and many charities will take your unwanted clothing or furniture. Visit www.uaelinks.com for a list of UAE charities.
3. Eyeglasses – There are more than 250 million people worldwide that suffer from poor vision because they can’t afford proper eyewear. Give sight to those in need by donating your out-of-prescription eyeglasses. Most Yateem Opticians and Al Jaber Optical outlets will accept old eyewear.
6. Toothbrushes – It might sound crazy but your old toothbrushes could contribute to the tree house your kids want.
Plastic-based lumber is made of old plastic and wood and is even being used to make real houses because it’s rain and heat resistant and lasts longer than traditional wood lumber. Save the trees! Recycle your toothbrush!
For more information on reducing, re-using and recycling, please visit www.beeah-uae.com
Ra m Ka adan reem
Getting Involved
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The Eshbilya School for Girls’ Deputy Principal Hessa and three students visited Bee’ah’s office recently to give the team a certificate of appreciation for helping the school with an urgent clean-up before it welcomed important guests.
Bee’ah’s General Manager, Khaled Al Huraimel said, “We are delighted to have been of assistance to Eshbilya School and hope to work with other schools throughout the emirate in the future. These pupils are after all the future of our planet.”
Show you care
this Ramadan Ramadan is all about giving, sharing and goodwill. This year, why not give back to the environment by reducing, re-using and recycling as much of your household waste as possible? Did you know that the UAE’s typical per capita waste production comes to 2.5kg – 2.8kg per day? That’s one of the highest in the world. Of this waste, food leftovers make up around 53%, paper products 16%, plastic 14% and glass 7%. The remainder is made up of tin, cloth and other products. Live out the three R’s Reduce, Re-use, Recycle - and take your rubbish to any of Bee’ah’s 1,500 three-stream public recyclers around Sharjah at any time of the day or night.
Every Sharjah resident throws away just under a ton of rubbish every year. That’s equivalent to the weight of 14.2 average people!
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Talk
Community
The Sharjah-based Badshah family’s litter crusade started in 2009 when Mohammad Ali (22) entered a can collection clean-up and inspired his father Akbar (53) and Haseena (24) to follow suit. Today, donning Bee’ah T-shirts, the family spends the evenings trawling their apartment building, car parks, public parks and supermarkets collecting cans, paper, plastic, glass and anything else that’s recyclable. So far the family has helped recycle three tons of paper, 210kg of batteries, 900kg of cans as well as toner and plastic. Just like all good super-champions, the Badshah family remains humble about its achievements and steadfast in its commitment. “We will continue going to public places to collect what others throw away. To achieve something you have to sacrifice something,” Akbar says.
Our Family’s Backyard Meet the Badshah family. They are – for want of a better description – Sharjah’s recycling super-champions. While the general super-champion description fits the Badshah family’s profile – they’re everyday people that do extraordinary things under the cover of night – there is one difference; instead of fighting crime, they rid the city of trash.
Dear Bee’ah
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Did you know that for every glass bottle you recycle, you help save enough energy to light a 100-watt light bulb for four hours?
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Media
Zone
As you can see by our media following, we've been keeping busy! Keep an eye on your local media for exciting new announcements coming soon!
Please recycle and pass this copy to a friend.