Saudi activist calls for better 'green' regulations

SGBC says kingdom is currently the biggest producer of solid waste in Gulf.

 

{reg}Recent warnings claim that the large sum of solid waste accumulated from the construction boom could spell disaster for Jeddah and other major cities of the Saudi Arabia if left unattended.

 

According to a report by Arab News, environmentalist Sultan Faden said that the destruction of mountains to produce gravel should stop as the mountain of rubbish created in Al-Khumra and other similar places in the outskirts of major cities are a direct threat to public health due to the hazardous radiation and gases emanating from cement-mixed sand, paints and petrochemical products.

Faden is head of the Founding Group of the Saudi Green Building Council (SGBC), a nonprofit organization working under the umbrella of the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment.

According to him that the best way to deal with construction waste is to recycle it, as is done in Europe and at least one country from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Faden told Arab News that it is time for authorities in Saudi Arabia to pass necessary regulations for the recycling of solid waste should the Kingdom wish to achieve the goal of sustainable development.

According to the report, Kuwait has reportedly passed a law making it mandatory for owners of construction projects to deliver their debris to the Environmental Protection and Industrial Co., a company that processes the waste and sells it on as gravel. The Masdar project in Abu Dhabi, which bills itself as the first sustainable city in the world, is another example. There, 98 percent of its construction waste is recycled every day.

After visiting rubbish sites in Jeddah with other members of the SGBC, Faden claimed that Saudi Arabia, the biggest country in the Gulf, is also the largest contributor of solid waste in the region.

In Jeddah, it is mandatory for the owners of construction projects to deliver its debris to a designated place. The Jeddah municipality has licensed some companies for this purpose.

However, Faden claims the municipality is either ignoring the designated dump or simply using it for landfill, another cause for environmental concern.

The activists called on municipalities in Jeddah and other cities to launch recycling factories. He also appealed for stronger regulations to protect mountains from crushers and instead use gravel from recycled material. {reg/}