The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change pays much attention to waste recycling within the framework of the Qatar National Strategy for Environment and Climate Change 2030, whose fourth pillar is concerned with circular economy and waste, HE the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Sheikh Dr Faleh bin Nasser al-Thani has said.
He said the Ministry of Municipality is a key partner in the implementation of this strategy, praising its treatment during the last period of soil from the effects of pollution resulting from tyre waste, which represented a major environmental problem due to its impact on the air, soil and groundwater.
He made the observations while attending a panel discussion at the third Recycling Towards Sustainability Conference & Exhibition-Doha 2023, in the presence of HE the Minister of Municipality Dr Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Subaie.
The two-day event concluded Wednesday.
During his participation in the session, HE Sheikh Dr Faleh noted that leaving waste without treatment causes fires. During the release of methane gas, its decomposition is also a major source of pollution, whether it is for the air, soil or groundwater.
Working on the recycling and use of waste will lead to achieving sustainability and preserving natural resources, he said, adding the ministry is working to provide an impetus in this field. He also stressed the need to focus on all types of waste, whether organic, natural or industrial. This can be achieved through awareness programmes and changing wrong behaviour in terms of consumption, he added.
The role of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change in recycling operations is supervisory in nature, HE the Minister pointed out. “Regarding building materials and their recycling, the National Waste Directory stresses the necessity of reusing about 40% to 50% of those materials in the construction and construction processes. If this is achieved, we would have contributed to preserving natural resources and had a major achievement globally for Qatar. We hope to achieve the conference's vision by reaching zero waste, while the state aspires to reduce the proportion of landfills as much as possible,” he affirmed.
In terms of scientific research, HE the Minister said there are four logistical areas located in different regions of the country, where thousands of tonnes of unused excavation materials are collected and the Qatar Primary Materials Company recycles them, which contributes to reducing the import of building materials.
He said the ministry is working on many awareness programmes in co-operation with various stakeholders. The Ministry of Education and Higher Education has also worked to ensure that the new curricula in schools include awareness of the environment and the importance of preserving it, in addition to frequent visits.