The Waste-Free Environment Day (WFE) is an initiative of the Plastics Committee of Gulf Petrochemical and Chemicals Association (GPCA).
For the second year in a row, GPCA rolled out the Clean Up, Recycle, Make a Difference – Be Part of the Change initiative all across the GCC by mobilising downstream industries as well as the general public to take part in the Waste-Free Environment Day (WFE).
Discussing the aim of the campaign, the Secretary General of the GPCA, Dr Abdulwahab Al Sadoun, said: “The GPCA is firmly committed to the principle that plastics should not be disposed of irresponsibly; they should be reduced, reused, recycled and finally recovered for their energy value.”
Dr Mohammed Yousef Al Mulla, VC and CEO of Qapco, commented: “We believe that raising awareness about the consequences of irresponsible waste disposal on the environment is one of the first steps towards shaping a sustainable future for our community and for our country. Hence, we were delighted that the WFE campaign was launched in Qatar as well”.
Commenting on the Waste-Free Environment initiative, Dr Saif bin Ali Al Hajjari, Chairman of Friends of the Environment Center, said: “Our responsibility towards our mother, the earth, is getting greater, especially as our negative practices affect the environment. But with sincere efforts and initiatives looking at raising the environmental awareness of corporates and the community, especially school students, this is a great occasion to help our Gulf.”
Twelve schools and one college engaged in beach cleaning activities at Al Wakra beach.
The students were given rubbish bags and gloves in four colours to sort the waste collected according to its category. The clean-up was organised on a 3km stretch of beach. In two hours, the students cleared the shore of plastic waste, glass bottles and other waste material.
Many volunteers from the community and from downstream producers assisted the students in the work.
The Peninsula
