Sustainability CEO at SC: 80% of waste from World Cup 2022 recycled

Eighty per cent of waste collected from World Cup stadiums has been recycled, said the Sustainability Executive Director at the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) Eng Bodour al-Meer.Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), al-Meer said that 54% of the waste has been converted into compost, 22% into plastic, 14% into paper and cardboard, 8% into glass, and 2% into metals and electronics.The climate change issues and the optimal utilisation of natural resources are among the top priorities of the Sustainability Department at the SC which set a comprehensive strategy to encourage transition to circular economy stemming from the expansion of recycling processes and supporting them on a wide scale locally, she added, stressing the importance of sustainability of national resources and utilising them in a thoughtful and responsible manner, specially that there are many recycling-based national industries that witness an accelerating growth followed by the circular economy which is an economic system that seeks to halt the constant wastage of resources and strives to utilise and develop them to serve Qatar and achieve its national vision, alongside the UN sustainability goals. She noted the launch of an industrial coalition last month to be one of the crucial pillars of the legacy projects associated with the tournament which focuses mainly on plastic recycling, offers drastic solutions for the treatment of plastic waste and reduces the pollution arising from it, in addition to reducing landfill carbon emissions.Commenting on the tournament's waste, al-Meer said that such matter is of utmost importance as the SC gave it an absolute priority from the outset prior to embarking upon the construction of stadiums, pointing out that the main focus was on recycling the construction waste which posed a big challenge for them, and consequently prolonged meetings were held with the contractors to further explain the importance of recycling and its economic value for Qatar, including the promised financial saving from the process.There was a success in recycling 70-80% of the tournament construction waste, in addition to utilising 90% of the waste from the former Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in the new construction operation of the stadium, al-Meer said, adding that during the preparation for the tournament, the focus was shifted from construction phase to operation, where new objective was pursued to convert 100% of waste generated from landfills into new various materials and elevate the recycling percentage.Accordingly, detailed reports were produced and offered electronically in order for all operators in the construction sector to review and utilise them in the future, she said.Regarding the concept of zero emissions, al-Meer estimated the carbon footprint of the tournament with 3.6mn tonnes, of which 1.5mn units were secured through the Global Carbon Council (GCC) that was established by a contribution from the SC, while FIFA had contributed with securing 300,000 units, and the remaining part was secured via Al Kharsaah Solar Power Plant.However, for the sake of having a successful project, professional consultants were hired by FIFA to calculate the estimated carbon units based on the global criteria and guidelines of determining the carbon offsetting value, she said.Pertaining to the plans and projects, a sustainability strategy was set to encourage the optimal utilisation of natural resources and included the implementation of the best and sustainable global football tournament ever, which left a major legacy for Qatar, including the launch of "Wave of Unity" coalition to enhance the environmental legacy of the tournament in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change to achieve Qatar National Vision 2030, the UN sustainable development goals, determining the 12th goal "Consumption & sustainable production" and moving the Qatari circular economy forward, al-Meer noted.She pointed out that from the outset the SC has been seeking to leave a legacy for the benefit of all in the post-tournament era to be essentially based on the expertise and experiences of the long years of preparation, along with the most important lessons learned by hosting a major and global sporting event.She saidt that the SC has been encouraging for recycling the construction waste and their reuse in various projects over 12 years, in addition to designing and operating eco-friendly and sustainable stadiums to reduce the rates of water and energy utilisation, in addition to reducing the natural raw materials, she said, adding that the SC published the reports and experiences to capitalise on them further by all local and international entities.With regard to the dissemination of sustainability concept at the local level, the CEO pointed out that the SC has succeeded in translating the concept on the real ground through pursuing the first comprehensive sustainability strategy for the tournament; in partnership between the host country and FIFA through which 70 projects were carried out and achieved 20 goals that covered five core themes, namely sustainable greenhouse, air quality, waste management, reduction of carbon emissions and water efficiency, as all stadiums reflected the Qatari environment and culture, and considered the international sustainability standards by choosing their locations to serve the local community, raising the efficiency of the use of energy and water, and improving the quality of their environments.