The Waste Free Environment (WFE) campaign held in Qatar as part of an initiative by the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) was a success, Qatar Petrochemical Company (Qapco) said in a statement yesterday.
Representatives from the local community, downstream industries, 15 schools, two colleges and two universities converged on Al Wakrah Beach on Thursday, which was observed as National Environment Day, for the clean-up campaign.
More than 1,500 students participated in sustainability workshops and competitions aimed at promoting best practices related to proper waste disposal.
The annual campaign, which also aimed to tackle some of the challenges associated with plastic litter, was held for the third year in a row, across the GCC, India and Europe by mobilising downstream industries as well as the general public.
Dr Abdulwahab al-Sadoun, secretary general of the GPCA, said: “The GPCA is firmly committed to the principle that plastics should not be disposed irresponsibly; they should be reduced, reused, recycled and finally recovered for their energy value.”
Qapco, the pioneer in petrochemical production in the Middle East and one of the founding members of the GPCA, was the local liaison of the WFE campaign in Qatar.
Dr Mohamed Yousef al-Mulla, vice chairman and CEO of Qapco, observed that the Waste Free Environment campaign can act as a catalyst to propel waste disposal best practices across the community.
“Raising awareness about the consequences of irresponsible waste disposal is one of the first steps towards shaping a sustainable future.”
Dr Saif al-Hajari, chairman of the Friends of the Environment Centre, said: “With waste surrounding us, from household, electronic and medical for instance, waste management challenges get greater as we mix and have to handle all those kinds of waste. Therefore, we need to find the right methods for safe disposal and recycling to ensure the protection and health of our
environment. “
The clean-up was organised on a 3km stretch of the beach. Within a few hours, the volunteers cleared the shore of plastic waste, glass bottles and other waste materials.
Al Wakrah Beach was chosen because of its proximity to Mesaieed Industrial City, the home of most of the downstream producing industries in Qatar.
In addition, clean-up events were organised at selected locations and awareness activities took place in schools and universities to highlight the issues associated with improper waste disposal.
Some of the main messages delivered were as follows: A large quantity of trash that we throw away everyday can actually be reused. Plastics are valuable materials and they should be recycled, instead of being thrown away. Recycling plastic products can conserve resources and reduce greenhouse emissions. Waste reduction is the most effective of the 3Rs; it means to reduce or lessen the amount of waste we generate by changing our habits.
Khalifa al-Sowaidi, CEO of Qafco, stated that environment awareness and education is an essential key towards sustainable development.
“Qafco believes in environmental responsibility and has always championed environmental initiatives, awareness drives and workshops that benefit the society at large.”
Dr al-Mulla and another official are seen with a group of volunteers who participated in the clean-up campaign.
