Oman's Sohar Port and Freezone (Sohar) has kicked off a new recycling initiative for plastics, glass and paper as part of its environmental initiatives.

Sohar has installed solar-powered recycling bins throughout port and freezone.

Sohar prides itself on some of the strictest and best-policed environmental standards in the region, both above and below the waterline, it said.

Last year, an international study estimated that a staggering eight million metric tonnes of plastic waste enters the oceans from land each year.

To help raise awareness of the issues and to encourage recycling, the company recently installed drop-off points at strategic locations around the port and freezone, said a statement from the company.

Colour coded bins accept glass, paper and plastics, while solar powered, backlit panels allow the latest environmental campaign messages to be displayed, it said.

Sohar's kick-off campaign shows an underwater view of a beautiful coral reef. However, when you look more closely the coral is made of colourful plastic waste, the jellyfish are floating plastic bags, and a passing school of fish are in fact old bottles. The headline makes the message clear: ‘Recycle it up here. Not down there’, it added.

Mark Geilenkirchen, CEO, Sohar, said: “This is not simply an aesthetic problem, we know these materials breakdown over time to create so-called micro-plastics, that are ingested by fish and other marine organisms and can then easily enter the human food chain.”

Sohar aims to reduce the amount of material discarded around its concession areas through improved environmental awareness initiatives, beach clean-up volunteer days, and better communication between the various stakeholders involved, it added.

“When it comes to environmental pollution, prevention is always the best option and our new recycling bins will play a small but important part,” Geilenkirchen concluded. – TradeArabia News Service