Khaleej Times reports that about 50 per cent of collected waste in the UAE capital Sharjah can be utilised again through proper recycling to generate valuable materials, according to a recent study conducted by the Environment Protection Section and a German environment engineering advisory firm.

The high organic content, which constitutes about 49 per cent of the waste volume, can be transformed into organic fertiliser for the ongoing landscaping efforts of the municipality, a source at the municipality told Khaleej Times. The existing operational city waste plant is also expected to be upgraded with bigger capacity, the source added. "Besides recycling the organic part of the waste, a new plant at the landfill area is utilising the green wastes of grass and trees with wastewater treatment plant sludge - between 150 to 200 tonnes per day with solid contents of about 21 per cent - to convert wastes into valuable fertiliser and initiate some greenery and beatification projects in the city," he explained, adding the municipality believes that this is considered to be the only cost-effective and innovative mean for utilising such materials in an environment friendly conservation project.

The source said that the vision of Sharjah Municipality to combine all efforts and needed resources for a strategic and long-term sustainable integrated waste management concept, would be soon finalised.

"The municipality collects more than 2,500 tonnes of household garbage and different kind of waste every day within the city. About 15 per cent of this waste is municipal household waste whereas approximately 49 per cent originates from commercial and industrial sources," he noted. "It has been observed that in past few years, the amount of waste generated in Sharjah has been steadily increasing: as in the year 2002, the total waste generated was 634,931 tonnes comparing with the year 2003 as 761,848 tonnes - almost 20 per cent increase," he explained, observing that this quantity is expected to reach approximately one million tonnes by the end of the current year. The source said the increase is mainly due to the enormous land development and construction activities in the city, which is also a clear indicator of the socio-economic development as well as the rapid and vast growth of the city.