Source: The Peninsular, Qatar’s Daily Newspapaer
The Ministry of Municipality and Environment has intensified efforts to curb disposal of plastic waste at random places which takes years to decompose causing environmental pollution.
Under the initiative, the Ministry has started providing separate bins at places to ease the recycling process which is also helping cut cost of the waste sorting. A nationwide campaign is also underway to create awareness among people about using garbage bins properly.
“The move aims at encouraging citizens and expatriates to use the alternatives of plastic bags and creating awareness among them to throw plastic waste like wrappers and water bottles at designated places and bins,” said Omar Salim Al Naimi, Head of the Department of Environmental Protection, Natural Reserves, and Wildlife.
Al Naimi urged people to avoid using plastic items as much as possible while speaking at a talk-show on Al Rayyan TV recently. “One-time using plastic bags should be replaced with paper bags which could be used many times,” said Al Naimi adding that bags made of other stronger materials rather than plastic could be used for longer.
Al Naimi said that plastic waste takes years to discompose posing threats to the environment and human being. “We distribute garbage bags at picnic places specially at beaches during weekends and other official holidays and camping areas during the season asking visitors to put the plastic waste inside the bags and discard them at designated places,” said Al Naimi.
He said that discarding plastic waste properly had enabled the department concerned to carry it for recycling purpose putting an end of its disposal at random inshore and offshore protecting marine and wildlife. “Now we have Mesaieed Waste Recycling Plant which is recycling some plastic waste,” said Al Naimi adding that the outputs of the plant are being used by local industries to make products.
“The Ministry is running the awareness campaign about plastic waste at various level. We organised awareness lectures at schools, universities and major shopping complexes on different occasions specially on environmental days,” said Al Kuwari.
The campaign received good response from the market specially schools and companies. A kindergarten operating in Al Aziziya distributed mini replicas of garbage bins made of papers to the students to educate them since childhood about the importance of discarding waste properly. “We helped the students in making paper bins, taught them practically how to use and finally handed over to them to carry to their homes after school,” a teacher told The Peninsula.
Responding to the campaign of the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, a major commercial outlet recently introduced environmentally-friendly reusable bags to the customers to reduce the uses of regular plastic bags.
To encourage the costumes to opt using reusable bags, the outlet launched an attractive offer as for purchasing the featured reusable bag for the first time they will get lifetime replacement.
Under a special recycling program, a set of garbage bins to collect four types of waste including organic waste, tree leaf, plastic bottles and glass materials have been placed at Al Khor Park where the visitors are asked to dispose the waste accordingly.
Source: https://thepeninsulaqatar.com
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