ABU DHABI // New recycling receptacles with solar-powered advertising are to make their debut on the Corniche in April. A prototype of the stainless-steel bins which include slots for disposal of cans, paper, bottles, plastics and other rubbish was on display last week during the World Future Energy Summit in the capital. A solar array is mounted on the top of the bin which charges a 50-watt battery over four hours to illuminate advertising on the receptacles at night.
Similar receptacles are already being used in Canada, Germany and France. Each bin will have three colour-coded flaps: green for newspapers, magazines and paper; blue for cans and bottles; and red for other waste. The Emirati businessmen who are marketing and manufacturing the 110kg boxes, Abboud al Braiki and Zeyad al Khaja, said they were granted a contract from Abu Dhabi Municipality late last year to bring the bins to the capital and go into mass production.
Mr al Braiki, the general manager of Visuals Advertising, said: "We are heading towards a green community and sustainable living, so I will be very proud as a citizen to say I'm following the vision of our leaders. It will be very cool to see people using these things and walking the right path to protect our green future." Mr al Khaja hoped to eventually supply as many as 2,000 bins to the emirate. He said: "We'll start in Abu Dhabi, then one by one go to the other emirates, inshallah."
The company hopes to eventually introduce the city's first street-side recycling bins on major roads such as Hamdan Street, Khalidiya Street and Al Salam Street. Mr al Braiki also clarified that the kerbside recycling contract was granted by Abu Dhabi Municipality rather than Abu Dhabi Waste Management, which handles residential waste collection. "The Corniche, the parks, the main streets are still under Abu Dhabi Municipality for waste collection," he said.
Mr al Braiki and Mr al Khaja recently won the first runner-up prize for the most innovative business proposal in the 2009 Manchester Innovation Award. The Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development supported the project financially by investing Dh3 million (US$817,000), Mr al Khaja said. @Email:mkwong@thenational.ae
