Commenting on Sunday's Saudi Gazette news report that a ‘mafia' of scavengers is making it difficult for Jeddah to establish a modern recycling system like that used in developed countries, Samer Salhab, managing director of Averda, an environmental services company, said that during the Earth Day celebrations new recycling equipment and vehicles were put on display for the Jeddah public. This equipment has special compartments for sorting recyclable material at source and can be used to solve the problem of recycling and stop the operation of the mafia of illegal workers and African women who sift through the city's garbage bins for recyclable materials that they can sell to scrap yards, he said. “We are standing side by side with volunteers to raise awareness about waste management. The ‘Clean Up Jeddah' campaign aims to clean the beaches all along the Jeddah Corniche,” he said adding that his company has been working at King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST), to “prove our concepts and demonstrate our commitment to service.” New recycling equipment and trucks can be used to solve the problem of recycling and stop the mafia involved in recycling, Salhab said. Speaking of the use of special recycling vehicles during the Earth Day cleaning activities at Jeddah's Corniche, he said: “We will be sorting the waste directly on site using special bags, bins and vehicles. Participants will see firsthand how we divide waste for further processing and realize what a difference sorting at source can make.” “Today's environmental services company must act as a facilitator between local entities and the larger community. We aim to learn from the residents of Saudi Arabia themselves and at the same time transfer our knowledge to them with the overall purpose of evolving together,” he said. Salhab explained to Saudi Gazette that one proposal is for the community to be provided with different bins for different types of waste - one for general waste and another for recyclable items. “Once we receive the recyclable material, we will be able to sort it out on the spot in the recycling truck because it is fitted with separate compartments and separate receiving bins. If the waste is mixed with recyclable material it can also be sorted out in the initial stages if there is a significant amount of recyclable items,” he said. He also explained that normally any waste management scheme cannot be implemented without preparing a proper and comprehensive public awareness campaign about the importance of recycling and why the community should become involved in separating their recyclable waste material. Recycling at source is being cited by many as a solution to Jeddah's recycling problems, although no one has yet fully described how it will work. Prince Turki Bin Nasser Bin Abdul Aziz, President of the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME), speaking to Saudi Gazette about the recycling mafia issue and the need for the development and awareness of society, said: “We are encouraging the municipality to do the sorting of materials at the source instead of separating them by machines after collecting the waste. We want to encourage people to have their own waste control from the beginning like separating recyclable materials at home. From the homes, materials should be packed in different compartments and go straight for recycling. We hope that this message will be well received by the public. Although we are in the first step, things will get better in the near future. It is the responsibility of all of society. There is a need for more effort to spread awareness and help achieve a suitable system for recycling.” Prince Turki stressed the importance of educating the public on environmental issues. “It is very important to know how we can keep our air, land, city and streets clean. Developing a public awareness of the environment is a very important issue. When members of the public are aware of the importance of the environment, then they can protect it,” he said. Many people were unaware of the role played by the mafia of garbage bin scavengers in denying the city a proper recycling system until reading recent Saudi Gazette news reports. Dr. Nabilla Abass, a Saudi medical doctor in a Jeddah hospital, said during Earth Day celebrations that it is time to change the thinking of society. “The average person never thinks about this mafia issue regarding recycling materials, but if the government or municipality will start a program of increasing awareness of recycling things and materials that can be sorted right from the homes, this activity of illegal Asians and African women collecting recycling materials can be stopped,” Abass said. “This is not only for the benefit of society, but also for those people who are putting their hands in the garbage to collect recyclable items which may be dangerous to their health,” she added. “We should work hard for environmental protection like other developed countries of the world. It is time to change the thinking of society about recycling items. We are celebrating Earth Day with the aim of spreading awareness and protecting the environment. If we don't take any practical steps, then it doesn't mean anything at all,” Abass said. Another Saudi businesswoman Khadija Bakhuari during the Earth Day event celebration said that the problem of recycling material can be solved if we create awareness in schools and teach our children and youth to help society. “We can start sorting things at home and put them in separate bags, but for that we need the municipality to give us different recycling bins. If we separate recyclable items from waste, we can help the environment as well as protect our society from illegal activity,” she said. However, increasing public awareness is a complicated issue and some feel that stronger action is required. Naif Shalhoub, general manager of the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) awareness department, told Saudi Gazette that “there are many who roam about the streets of Jeddah and Makkah collecting valuable things from the garbage and selling them in order to make a living”. “This should be stopped,” he said, “and awareness alone will not work. Instead we need strong implementation of the law.” Shalhoub also said that helping the poor is in the nature of Saudi people as it is the culture of the Kingdom to help those in need. “Many people in our culture have sympathy for those poor people, who are collecting things, especially those African women who collect things for their living. So there is a psychological problem in the community, and it will not be solved until we implement the law strictly,” he said. “Frankly,” he added, “I don't see that in the coming years we will have such things because there is no experience of such things here. We need a force to implement the law.”
