Averda, claimed to be the largest waste management company in the region, aims to highlight the value in waste through its unique reverse vending machines.

The company states that Saudi Arabia generates more than 15 million tons of solid waste per year, a rate which projects that most of the country’s landfills may reach their capacities within the next decade. With statistics as staggering as they are, recycling, reuse and energy recovery are receiving a lot of government attention.

In 2013, averda’s reverse vending machines retrieved over 1.2 million recyclable across the region, and in Saudi Arabia alone the machines collected close to 350,000 recyclables — 87 percent of which were plastic bottles, which, if not recycled would each take 700 years to begin composting.

In the first quarter of 2014, these reverse vending machines in Saudi Arabia have already surpassed more than half of last year’s figures, recording close to 220,000 containers in four months.

“More than 75 percent of Saudi’s 29 million residents are concentrated in urban areas, which generate over 6 million tons of solid waste per year. Waste management is a critical issue in the region, and the popularity of the reverse vending machines in Saudi is indicative of the direction Saudi Arabia is heading in,” according to Camille Korban, MD, averda Saudi Arabia.

Specializing in integrated waste management, averda says it is leading waste innovation in the Middle East for nearly four decades, and has been present in Saudi Arabia since 2009.

Averda launched standalone reverse vending machines in 2011 as part of its long-term plan to increase recycling rates. Primarily introduced as an interactive awareness-building tool, the reverse vending machine simplifies recycling to encourage a change in consumer behavior.