Ceres Associates, an integrated environmental and waste management company, has been awarded a contract to execute the first phase of the project designed to rehabilitate the original landfill serving the UAE emirate of Umm Al Quwain.

The entire project connected to the 15-year-old landfill will be undertaken by Ceres Associates in two phases, and is expected to cost around Dh11.8 million ($3.2 million), said a statement from The UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (Moccae).

Ceres Associates is a major provider of a complete range of integrated environmental and waste management solutions to municipal corporations, industries, hotels and medical institutions.

The first phase, which will be completed in December this year, will involve critical processes that lay the groundwork for an extensive rehabilitation of the landfill, it stated.

This includes the application of special treatments to various kinds of waste, an upgrade of the existing materials recovery facility (MRF) and the installation of a new compressor.

The landfill’s lining - a low permeable barrier which prevents the leaking of toxic substances into the ground - will also be repaired, said the Moccae statement.

The project associated with the existing landfill complements plans to build a second landfill dedicated to Umm Al Quwain, it stated.

According to the ministry, the new site will contain two sanitary engineering cells that comply with globally-approved technical standards.

The new landfill will also feature other environment-friendly components such as the new sewage treatment plant that is set to serve the residential and commercial sectors of the emirate, it added.-TradeArabia New Service