An estimated 700 volunteers from 14 schools along with community members joined together for a day of educational activities and cleaned up the shores of Dubai' Sunset Beach today, as part of the Waste Free Environment project.

Supported by the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and the Dubai Municipality, Waste Free Environment is a global effort hosted by the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association each year that strengthens the idea of responsible litter disposal and ensures recycling and its benefits
"Development plans, whether they are for education, health care or the economy, are an important strategic foundation for any country that wants to advance," said H.E. Engineer Essa Abdulrahman Al Hashmi, acting the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment's Assistant Undersecretary for Environment Affairs Sector.

He continued, "In the UAE we are fortunate that these techniques have actually been drawn up by the country's consistently farsighted leaders. Efforts such as the Waste Free Environment campaign prove that these long-term objectives are resonating with individuals of the United Arab Emirates. We are profoundly pleased to note that our neighborhoods are not only returning with their time and effort, however are likewise establishing friendly habits that benefit the durability of this planet.".

Together with Dubai, this year's project was concurrently held in 13 cities in the GCC, India China and the Netherlands. In 2015, WFE collected over 52 tons of waste gathered by over a thousand volunteers in the GCC, Europe and India.

"Actions such as decreasing, reusing, recycling and recuperating are behaviours that we have to instill now, as the resources we use to live are finite," explain Dr.Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun, Secretary General, GPCA. "The problem of litter is ultimately a man-made challenge, and by this reasoning, the solution will emerge out of cumulative action of communities, instead of a single group.".

The Dubai leg of WFE was likewise supported by Suez Environment (formerly Trashco-Sita) and Shell Chemicals. Comparable clean-up occasions in other cities were sponsored by a few of the GCC's top petrochemical companies, consisting of Borouge, Sadara, QAPCO, and Muntajat, among others.

"Considering that the creation of the WFE in 2011, we have actually discovered a steady transformation in perceptions-- one where individuals are mindful of the method they get rid of waste. And for this, we are grateful to our partners, volunteers and group, who have been instrumental in attaining this positive change," concluded Dr. Al-Sadoun.