The Gulf countries produced over 22.2 million tons of municipal solid waste and 4.6 million tons of industrial solid waste during last year, said an expert at a major summit in Dubai.

'The issue of uncontrolled waste affects the entire Arab community and so 'we need to engage in continuous and comprehensive dialogue to come up with unified strategies for addressing this growing threat,' Chris Fountain, managing director of Turret Middle East, said.  

Turret ME are the organisers of the second edition of 'Middle East Waste Summit (MEWS)' which opened on Tuesday at the Palladium in Dubai Media City.

Viable solutions for the waste management issues of the Gulf and other Middle Eastern territories will be extensively discussed at the the three-day summit, said Fountain, calling for more efficient waste management strategies.

The Dubai Municipality had developed the Summit as a platform for governments and businesses in the region to discuss the growing threat posed by improperly managed waste.

According to him, the rapid economic and industrial growth and an expanding population have been the major forces driving up the amount of waste generated by Gulf states.

Last year’s inaugural edition was attended by 2,691 industry professionals from 53 countries. Participants commended the agenda and goals of the summit and expressed their eagerness to return to the succeeding editions, with 92 per cent of exhibitors affirming that they were able to meet their event objectives, he noted.

The 2010 Summit will once again be held under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and Industry and Chairman of Dubai Municipality.

“The huge turnout witnessed during last year’s inaugural Summit reflected how waste management has become a priority concern among Middle Eastern societies. MEWS is an important venue for Middle Eastern Governments and international businesses to team up and build long-term solutions to waste management, and we appreciate the commitment shown by its participants,” said Fountain.

Hassan Makki, director of Dubai Municipality’s Waste Management Department, will chair the VIP Opening Ceremony entitled ‘Global climate change and the waste industry.’

The session will include a keynote speech by Obaid Bin Essa Ahmed, executive director of the Municipalities Coordination Office and In-Charge of Environment Affairs at the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water.

He will discuss major government initiatives and positive trends affecting the Emirates’ waste management efforts such as the upcoming creation of the National Centre for Cleaner Production and plans to rehabilitate the nation’s landfills on behalf of Dr Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahad, UAE Minister of Environment and Water. 

Presentations from Dubai Municipality, the German Association for Waste Management, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and Hong-Kong based Environmental Resources Management will follow.

Other sessions on the first day of MEWS will focus on waste avoidance and resource management; policy, regulation and enforcement issues; waste to energy; municipal waste and recycling; construction and industrial waste management, and waste procurement, among others.

Round tables on topics ranging from waste oil and medical waste treatment to electronic waste solutions and composting will be held tomorrow onwards. More than 200 business leaders will attend the conference proper and the break-out sessions.-TradeArabia News Service