Clean Up UAE

The main objectives of the Clean Up UAE Campaign are: • To create awareness amongst the community about local environmental issues with special emphasis on waste management, waste reduction and recycling • To educate the community on the importance of reducing the quantity of waste all over the country • To link with the global environmental movement by promoting the principle of ‘thinking globally, acting locally’ • To instil a sense of responsibility towards environmental protection & preservation amongst the community particularly with the youth • To involve various sectors of society like government, corporate, academic and domestic institutions, in an integrated national environmental initiative. • To facilitate integrated partnerships for the cause of sustainable development in UAE and the region • To cut across barriers of religion, nationality, age, gender and occupation • To initiate a sustained, annual, national event that will provide experience in hands- on environmental action • To make a blueprint for concerted environmental action that can be replicated elsewhere Since its inception in 2002, the Campaign has achieved continuous growth, with strong support from supporting agencies and volunteers. Every year, EEG strives to conduct an event with increased size, productivity and enthusiasm, be it in the number of sites, number of participants, improved infrastructure, support systems and greater media interest. The growth of this Campaign across the Emirates has been phenomenal over the years. As an example, the breakdown of participating volunteers across the years is as follows: • 2002: 4,500 participants • 2006: 16,700 participants • 2010: 20,362 participants • 2013: 112,000 participants • 2016: 125,536 participants Also, in terms of the waste collected over the years: • 2004: 54,000 kilograms • 2009: 87,000 kilograms • 2011: 97, 469 kilograms • 2016: 110,000 kilograms Thus, the Clean Up UAE Campaign is a day that truly goes down in the history books of the UAE as one dedicated to volunteerism, environmentalism, team work, patriotism and selflessness. Participants of the Clean Up UAE Campaign are inculcated with a love for the environment, sense of responsibility and community involvement. Citizens that are exposed to this kind of environmental conscious behaviour are more open to adopting sustainable modes of production and consumption in the long run too. Despite the GCC being known as one of the highest waste-producing regions in the world, it is heartening to know that the UAE is also one of the foremost in waste management. in 2016, the Clean Up UAE Campaign witnessed the participation of 125,536 volunteers across 146 sites with a collection of 110,000 kilograms of waste. For a better understanding, given below is a breakdown of each of the major sites: • Kalba: 1 tonne of waste was collected • Dibba Al Hisn: 1 tonne of waste as well as 2 kilograms of plastic and 64 kilograms of aluminium cans was collected • Sharjah: Over 11 tonnes of waste was collected from 97 locations • Al Jazira Al Hamra Beach: Over 40 tonnes of waste was collected from 2 locations • Ajman: 3 tonnes of waste was collected • Dubai: 20 tonnes of waste as well as 75 kilograms of plastic and 500 kilograms of paper was collected from over 6000 participants across 4 locations • Abu Dhabi & Al Ain: 11 tonnes of waste was collected from 2000 participants • Umm Al Quwain: 18 tonnes of waste were collected from 5 locations • Fujairah: 1 tonne of waste was collected As the Clean Up UAE Campaign is a volunteering activity, it is extremely heartening to see the unrelenting support from sponsors, participants and relevant Government agencies. The main aim of the Campaign is to enhance and protect the landscape. However, it has an added advantage of educating the public on how they can be environmentally friendly and responsible by just picking up a piece of paper on the road and putting it into a bin. EEG has always been an ardent believer in the power of volunteerism and this is exactly what came alive on the most active volunteer day of the year. It was overwhelming to witness the determination of the common man as they left their homes early in the morning for a selfless cause. Another huge impact of the Clean Up UAE campaign is that it is graced by volunteers from all walks of life – from high profile officials to CEOs, from laborers to municipality workers, and from families to individuals – who have the belief that they have the power make a difference. And what a difference they made – the 125,000-odd volunteers of the campaign were successful in creating history as they collected 110,000 tonnes of waste, which was then sent for recycling. The Clean Up UAE Campaign is also a binding force as people from practically every nationality worked together as one for a common goal – to make the country they live in garbage–free and beautiful. These 125,000 volunteers were spread across beaches, roads and desert areas across the 7 Emirates. EEG has several plans in the pipeline to increase the impact of this Campaign. We would continue to invite private sector organisations and stakeholders to come on board through sponsorship and partnerships to further increase the clean and green spaces in the UAE. Despite having a huge participation of 125, 536 volunteers in 2016, we are looking for partners and sponsors who will play an active role with us in bringing together a more diverse group of participants in the UAE. We have initiated a couple of Clean Up campaigns in other Arab Countries i.e. Oman & Sudan. We are also confident that with the right partnership, we can further expand this campaign to other Arab countries that are looking to bring about a change in behaviour to their communities and populations while promoting active sustainability.