JEDDAH, 17 March 2004 — The Makkah municipality estimates that the city generates more than 200,000 tons of waste annually, Al-Madinah Arabic daily reported, adding that if the waste were recycled, as much as SR30 million could be saved.
Makkah Mayor Dr. Khaled Nahhas said the municipality had an agreement with the Faqeeh Center to conduct a study on recycling and its benefits.
But effective recycling requires items to be categorized, separating glass, tin and paper, according to Jamal Hariri, deputy mayor of Makkah. Contractors then need to find suitable locations where the waste can be collected and recycled. All this takes time and will cost money.
The municipality has already begun offering recycling facilities for cardboard boxes in some local stores, he added.
Among the proposals being studied is one suggesting setting up a recycling industry operated by the private sector.
Abdullah Tujjar Al-Shahi, secretary-general of the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has heard from a number of companies interested in recycling, he told the paper.
Meanwhile, the private sector is considering taking the initiative; with waste on the increase, investment in recycling is bound to be profitable, businessman Abdul Samad Al-Qurashi said.
A report from the municipality showed that the amount of waste during the first half of Dul Hijjah was 75,370 tons — an increase of more than 2,000 tons over last year.
