New Riyadh waste plant to banish eyesore dumping reaches construction milestone

A major construction waste and recycling plant in Riyadh is nearing completion which will ease pressure on landfill sites in the Saudi capital. (Supplied)

• The new plant covers over 1.3 million square meters of land and will treat up to 600 tons of construction and demolition waste per hour
• It is expected to provide employment to 160 people, achieve recycling rates of over 90 percent

LONDON: A major construction waste and recycling plant in Riyadh is nearing completion which will ease pressure on landfill sites in the Saudi capital.
The Saudi Investment Recycling Company (SIRC), a unit of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), is developing the recycling plant in Al-Khair in the north of the city. It is expected to be operational by the end of July.
The new plant covers over 1.3 million square meters of land and will treat up to 600 tons of construction and demolition waste per hour, achieve recycling rates of over 90 percent.
The aim is to produce recycled aggregates that can be used for new roads and buildings while at the same time reduce the estimated 20 million tons of construction and demolition waste dumped in vacant plots around the city each year.
“The waste recycling facility in Riyadh will offer numerous economic, social, and environmental benefits to society that are above and beyond the direct return on investment,” said Prince Faisal bin Abdulaziz bin Ayyaf, Mayor of Riyadh Region.
Gulf states are boosting investment in recycling in a bid to reduce the millions of tons of waste that heads to desert landfill sites each year across the region.
The new facility in Riyadh is expected to provide employment to 160 people.