The Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) organised a ‘Clean Up UAE’ campaign recently, in which thousands of volunteers took part enthusiastically.

The 2009 ‘Clean Up UAE’ campaign took place simultaneously in all seven Emirates.

The campaign’s objectives included reducing the amount of waste at each designated site, creating awareness of local environmental issues and promoting civic responsibility in the younger generation. Children as young as ten years old also participated.

“‘Clean Up UAE’ is about raising awareness of the scale of waste that people produce,” said Malek Sukkar, CEO, averda, one of the sponsors of the event.

“We have our own programme—called averda Learn—which educates young people about the benefits of waste collection and recycling.”

All volunteers received special biodegradable garbage bags, fabric gloves, caps and campaign T-shirts as well as a list of ‘Dos and Don'ts’ for safety.

“While the ‘Clean Up UAE’ campaign is definitely the highlight of our environmental activities, we should not satisfy ourselves with a one-off campaign, but include environmental awareness, recycling and energy efficient practices in our everyday lives,” added EEG co-founder and chairperson, Habiba Al Marashi.-TradeArabia News Service