Underlining its commitment to promoting sustainability and recycling, Imdaad, a Dubai-based crew of organizations that offers integrated, sustainable amenities management services that enhance operational efficiencies of physical assets, on February 3, 2020 marked the official launch of FARZ, a latest material recovery facility (MRF) located in the National Industries Park in Jebel Ali. His Excellency Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment of the UAE, was the chief guest at the event.

One of the biggest fully-automated MRFs in the region, FARZ is also the most advanced facility of its sort in the UAE. It was mounted in line with the companys dedication to contributing to the desires of the National Agenda of the UAE Vision 2021, which envisages diverting 75 percentage of all municipal solid waste away from landfills by 2021.

Spanning an area of 45,322sq m, the MRF has the potential to process 1,200 tonnes of municipal as well as commercial and industrial (C&I) waste per day equal to almost 13 percentage of total waste generated every day in Dubai, with a recovery rate of 25-30 percentage of waste. It comprises modern magnetic, optical, and ballistic separators and smart recovery technologies to segregate and reclaim valuables, such as ferrous and non-ferrous metals, Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), and High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), PE bags, Old Corrugated Cardboard (OCC), and wood, from the C&I and source-segregated combined waste that Imdaad collects daily from different parts of Dubai.

His Excellency Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment of the UAE, said: The National Agenda of the UAE Vision 2021 underscores the significance of devising progressive solutions to divert 75 percentage of municipal solid waste away from landfills. In this context, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, in partnership with public and private sector stakeholders, endeavors to embody the circular economy and turn waste from a burden to a source of profits in the UAE.

His Excellency Dr Al Zeyoudi mentioned the use of smart tech at the FARZ recovery facility and stressed that technological developments are integral to driving sustainable waste management.

For his part, Mr. Hamdan Al-Shaer, Chairman, FARZ, stated: With rapid industrial development and subsequent growth in city population, cities across the world are going through excellent challenges in dealing with waste. With built-in smart technology and developed after carrying out numerous waste characterization studies, FARZ will revitalize the UAEs waste minimization efforts. Our vision is to equip FARZ to close the recycling loop within the UAE and therefore, we are excited about what the future holds for the facility.

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Jamal Abdulla Lootah, Group CEO, Imdaad, said: The official launch of FARZ represents a momentous milestone in Imdaads boom journey and in addition consolidates our preeminent role in the UAEs facilities management sector. As an innovative and wonderful solution for recycling waste and supporting minimize the amount of refuse that ends up in landfills, the facility forms a huge part of our initiatives to promote sustainability and environmental protection. We look ahead to furthering our contributions to the countrys efforts to building clean, healthy and eco-friendly communities that will offer enormous economic and environmental benefits to both residents and visitors.

In addition to recycling waste, FARZ will assist minimize emissions triggered by trucks that gather and carry waste to landfill. Imdaad has a fleet of more than 100 vehicles that acquire waste from new Dubai premises and travel 60 km every day on average to the landfill positioned at the Dubai-Sharjah border for disposal. With the new plant, all these vehicles will be removed from Dubai's roads and highways, leading to a large reduction in emissions and traffic as well.