The national waste recycling programme is set to reach private companies and households to raise awareness in the next 13 months.

The programme, currently in schools and universities, is part of a wider effort to meet the goals of the National Development Strategy 2011-16.

With an aim to raise awareness among students about recycling waste, the national waste recycling programme under the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning has reached more than 180 schools, reported an Arabic daily yesterday.

Since its launch in 2011, it has reached 180 schools, teaching children about recycling and its benefits.

Muna Al Saei, head of awareness team of the public cleaning project said, “We have reached primary and secondary schools since the launch of the programme. It includes 52 secondary schools in 2014 and 48 in 2015. We try to make children understand at a younger age the need to recycle waste.”

As a step in encouraging students, most outstanding schools are honoured by the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning.

According to data, Qatar produces more than 7,000 tonnes of solid waste every day. Currently, households are responsible for about 30 percent of that waste, while commerce, industry, and construction account for the rest. The majority of that non-domestic waste today goes directly to the landfill. The waste strategy will cover waste from households, the construction industry, and industrial and commercial sectors. It will focus on two primary goals — recycling and waste reduction — and convert waste to energy.

The prospective plans for waste reduction will almost greatly increase recycling of industrial and commercial waste, the target being to reduce the amount going to landfills from 91 percent to 64 percent. Plans are also in place to improve the amount of household waste being recycled.

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QNE

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