The Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) is to organise the first international waste management conference on April 5-6, with the participation of a number of governmental and semi-governmental institutions, the private sector, local factories, some external parties and a group of experts and specialists in the field of local and international waste management and treatment.
Assistant Undersecretary for Public Services Affairs at the MME Eng. Ahmed Mohamed al-Sada explained during a press conference on Tuesday that the organisation of the conference comes within the framework of the great interest that the MME attaches to developing its services and achieving sustainable development, in implementation of the ministry's sustainable strategy and in accordance with the National Development Strategy and Qatar National Vision 2030.
He pointed out that the conference is an interactive platform to discuss the latest solutions for waste management and recycling, and aims to learn about the latest technologies and systems in developing a waste management and recycling system, ways to integrate between the public and private sectors, the role of academic and research institutions in supporting efforts in this field, and mechanisms investing national and international expertise and experiences to achieve sustainable development and a better future for future generations, and to improve the quality of life.
Al-Sada stressed that Qatar is keen to organise the conference for the first time, remotely, due to the challenges of Covid-19, which comes as an evidence of the great interest that the country attaches to recycling waste, reducing its quantity and reusing it in the production of compost and power generation, according to the strategy of the MME, and Qatar's Second National Development Strategy 2018-2022.
He pointed out that Qatar has developed a comprehensive strategy to deal with all types of waste, whether from residential places, commercial and industrial sites, or the construction and other sectors, adding that the State has also adopted a comprehensive plan to manage and recycle waste by establishing a waste management and treatment centre in Mesaieed, which is one of the largest in the region.
He expressed hope that participation in the conference, from governmental and semi-government institutions, private sector companies, experts, specialists and local and international interested parties, will contribute to the future of waste management and recycling, and strengthen the management of waste.
Director of the Public Relations Department at the ministry Abdullah Mohamed al-Falasi said that the holding of the conference, soon after Qatar International Environmental Exhibition, confirms the State's interest in providing full support for all sectors and services related to the ministry's work, noting the importance of the societal role in public hygiene and waste recycling.
Meanwhile, Assistant manager of the waste management department at the ministry Hassan Nasr al-Nasr explained that the conference will be attended by a number of ministries, agencies, government institutions and private companies, which will discuss several topics, including: circular economy, integration between the public and private sectors, and modern technologies for converting waste into energy, research and development in the field of waste, food waste, smart management of waste collection and transportation, waste and challenges in light of Covid-19 pandemic, recycling and other topics related to waste recycling management of various kinds.
He said that participation and registration in the conference and following up its sessions and outputs are open to all interested parties from various countries of the world through the conference website www.wmdoha.com.
Al-Nasr noted that the Ministry of Municipality and Environment is concerned with preparing the policies and strategies necessary for Waste management in the country, and developing administrative plans for the treatment of solid Waste to ensure the preservation of the health and safety of the environment and society in coordination with the competent authorities, pointing out that the ministry launched in 2019 an integrated program for Waste sorting and recycling in the country aims to reduce the amount of Waste, preserve the integrity of the environment, and economically benefit from recycling and achieve sustainable development.