You can get vending machines for the strangest things in the Arab Gulf – even for gold bars. But thinking in a greener direction, the United Arab Emirates is the second country in the world to adopt light bulb and used battery recycling machines to the public. Five reverse vending machines are being set up in Sharjah this week. Used light bulbs and batteries are considered hazardous waste, though just a drop in the bucket of electronic related waste. But bulbs and batteries do contribute to the build up of dangerous levels of mercury when these chemicals seep into the ground.
The city of Sharjah already employs vending machines for plastic bottle recycling and medical wastes through an organization called Wakaya, and the city’s environment agency is planning to award prizes to people for their recycling initiatives.
The initiative is part of Shajah’s Zero Waste for 2015 campaign. Bee’ah, who we featured here is also trying to get commercial properties and malls to use more efficient lighting.
Image via revend
Author: Karin Kloosterman
Karin Kloosterman is an award-winning journalist and publisher that founded Green Prophet to unite a prosperous Middle East. She shows through her work that positive, inspiring dialogue creates action that impacts people, business and planet. She has published in thought-leading newspapers and magazines globally, owns an IoT tech chip patent, and is part of teams that build world-changing products to make agriculture and our planet more sustainable. Reach out directly to [email protected]
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Many thanks for sharing information about green recycling machines…
Please let us know the location of these light bulb recycling machines
We don’t have something like this in Croatia, but it seems like a great idea.