MUSCAT: Spurred by its strategy to divert solid waste away from landfills and into commercially viable recycling activities, be’ah – the solid waste management entity of Oman – says it has made significant strides in driving the growth of a circular economy in the country.
Initiatives launched by be’ah over the course of 2023 have focused on harnessing Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF), Electrical & Electronic Waste, and Green Waste, among other recyclable commodities, from waste streams that have hitherto ended up in the country’s landfills.
Notable is its success in unlocking the use of scrap automotive tyres – currently stockpiled at key locations around the country – as an energy source in the form of Tyre Derived Fuel (TDF). Under an agreement signed with Oman Cement Company, be’ah currently facilitates the supply of TDF to help meet the cement manufacturer’s expanding energy needs – a move that will be expanded to include Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) as well.
“Building on the success of the TDF supply, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with Oman Cement during the OSW to explore the utilization of Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) as an additional alternative fuel source,” be’ah stated in its recently published 2023 Sustainability Report.
RDF, as an alternative energy resource, is produced from combustible components of municipal and commercial solid waste. General waste, once stripped of its organic and recyclable components, is then further desegregated into streams comprising mainly paper, cardboard, waste packaging, non-recyclable plastics (except PVC), wood chips and other corrugated materials. It is then shredded, dried, mixed and processed into bales or pellets, primarily to feed cement kilns.
Furthermore, in a bid to recover valuable metals and other recyclable ingredients from Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), be’ah has signed an agreement with Sohar University to conduct a survey to quantify the prodigious volumes of WEEE being generated annually in the country.
“The agreement includes carrying out dismantling activities to understand the types of WEEE generated and the specific waste streams that can be extracted from the WEEE,” said be’ah.
WEEE spans the complete spectrum of electrical and electronic equipment types, including home appliances such as fridges and freezers, ACs, washing machines and dishwashers, batteries, telecoms and computers, clothes irons, radios and hair dryers, light bulbs and fluorescent tubes, TV and monitors, mobile phones, and printer cartridges.
Emblematic of be’ah’s success on the recycling front has been automotive batteries (Lead Acid Batteries – LAB), with an estimated 470 tonnes of LAB waste channeled towards recyclers in 2023. LAB recycling enables as much as 97% of an automotive battery to be salvaged and reconverted back into commercially valuable ingredients such as lead, sulphuric acid, and polypropylene plastic.
Paper and cardboard waste – a significant component of commercial waste - is also the focus of a be’ah-led recycling strategy. “be’ah is collaborating with relevant stakeholders to develop paper and cardboard management guidelines aimed at supporting local recycling efforts and In-Country Value (ICV). Oman has two private recycling facilities located in Suhar and Barka, with a combined capacity of 190,000 tonnes per year,” it stated.
Ahmed al Subhi, be’ah Chairman, commented: “We take pride in our strategic resource management initiatives, having set ambitious targets for transitioning to a circular economy, including achieving 60% waste utilization by 2025 and 80% by 2030, alongside reducing the average daily waste per person from 1.2 kg to less than 1.0 kg by 2040.”
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