We probably shouldn’t poke fun at the Dubai Municipality for bribing local residents with cash awards and iPads as part of their recently-launched My City, My Environment recycling program. Because their intentions are essentially good.
But it’s so hard to resist when so much that happens in the Vegas of the Middle East (need I list the stories we’ve covered over the years – the Burj Khalifa, a white gold Mercedes, bottles of water that cost $2600?) is so absurd.
To be fair, only 15 out of the 3,725 homes in the Nad Al Hammar and Al Mizhar 1 and 2 neighborhoods that participated in the city’s recycling program actually received awards – including cash prizes for the housemaids who embraced waste separation with the most diligence.
In February, according to DXB Business, each of the households were given two bins to encourage waste segregation. One holds organic waste while the other is used for recyclables.
“This project has been a huge success,” Abdulmajeed Saifaie, director of waste management, told The National.
“It is amazing how these communities embraced recycling in less than six months,” he added.
Following this success, the recycling program will be expanded to include Al Warqa and Al Barsha 1, 2 and 3, where it is hoped waste collection will begin by January, 2013.
While we’re grateful to see Dubai cleaning up its act, is there another place on earth where residents have to be coerced with more stuff and money to keep the planet clean?
:: The National
Image credit: Random woman holds iPad, Shutterstock
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
The massive accumulation of waste from 7 billion people has become so dengerous, incentives are needed to safely recycle 100% around the World and clean up the ocean. The global drought, wildfires, sudden storms and flash floods are a warning our planet is in crisis.