JUBAIL — Investing in recycling and processing neglected waste in the Kingdom could be worth up to SR45 billion annually, industry experts have told Al-Watan daily. They said the volume of hazardous waste is damaging the environment throughout the Kingdom and this requires investments to get rid of such waste. They called for more businessmen in the waste management industry to set up factories for recycling and creating an industrial system specializing in waste recycling and environmental protection. Recycling is classed as an important environmental strategic project that could be highly profitable, they claimed. Meanwhile, the director general of the National Environmental Preservation Company Saad Al-Unaizi said the Kingdom produces 300,000 to 400,000 tons of hazardous waste annually. Only 2,000 tons of this waste is treated in the company's unit in Jubail, he said. He questioned why there was no environmental system being implemented in the Kingdom to treat and dispose of hazardous waste. Economic analyst Fadhl Al-Buainain said if more waste recycling companies were set up, they would be able to make a profit and reduce government expenditure. He added: “It is necessary for the authorities to improve waste recycling through deep strategic partnerships with specialist international companies. “Minimizing waste has become a global strategic goal. “This cannot be achieved except by recycling and setting up specialist factories that specialize in waste recycling. “This in itself will create a diverse industrial sector scattered in different regions of the Kingdom.” He praised the role of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, which he said has developed a new strategy that aims to achieve several objectives including minimizing the volume of waste, carrying out waste recycling through specialist companies, creating parallel industries, achieving environmental protection and spreading awareness and a culture related to waste recycling.
