service life.”
At Dulsco its environmental business is changing from a waste transporter into a facilitator for the communities in promoting and educating on the importance of a circular economy. Grainger says: “We have made it our mission to facilitate, reuse, and recycle, in order to give back to the environment and play our part in a circular economy.”
Dulsco has established a treatment portfolio including an Material Recovery Facility (MRF) and an Oil Re-refinery Plant, the first of their kind in the region. Additionally, it has a Construction and Demolition (C&D) initiative in Ajman and Umm Al Quwain, where crushed concrete is recycled into a sub-base, which is used in the construction of roads and other development projects. The firm has also established its Paper Pulp Moulding Facility and Glass Upcycling Workshops, where its mission is to reduce the wastage of paper and glass by utilising them and recycling them to create new and innovative repurposed products. Grainger adds: “To top it off, we have recently introduced our new eco-friendly brand The New Old and Reloved by Dulsco: a new product line of upcycled furniture made out of recycled barrels and wood pallets. The brand has launched in a shop at Wafi Mall in Dubai and is a manifestation of our efforts in driving environmentally conscious consumerism.”
Dulsco and Expo 2020 Dubai
Dulsco’s circular economy plan also falls in line with Expo 2020 Dubai’s vision of being the most sustainable Expo ever, says Grainger. He elaborates: “As official waste management partners, we are working closely with Expo 2020 Dubai to achieve their vision of diverting 85% of waste from the Expo 2020 Dubai away from landfill. Our suite of facilities across the region further supports our positioning to handle the waste collected for Expo 2020 Dubai and repurpose it into upcycled products, such as cup holders, seed pots, and sustainable Expo-branded mementos. We are also working closely with partners of Expo 2020 Dubai to achieve the subtheme of sustainability, encouraging them to drive recycling where possible and to promote sustainability through their own means to a large footfall of Expo 2020 Dubai visitors and Dubai residents and citizens. Dulsco is at the forefront of sustainability, recycling, diversion from landfill, and the promotion of recycling within the community.”
Challenges
Talking about the challenges facing the waste management sector and how can they be rectified, Grainger says: “One of the biggest challenges we face in the waste management sector is education and helping companies become aware of not only the importance of our actions on the planet, but also the benefit it will bring to them as an organisation. Many organisations are unaware of the drastic effect their company has on the environment, and in turn, the health of the human species. Our mission is to educate entities on the importance of improving their carbon footprint, through waste management reduction in the first instance and then reuse and recycle as the next priority.”
Grainger says that there is a “common misconception amongst organisations that being sustainable and eco-friendly comes with a high cost, and not all are willing to invest in this”. He adds: “One of our challenges is to rectify this and spread awareness on how affordable it can be in the long run. For example, our Construction and Demolition Waste Management is able to reduce cost, as well as maximise environmental benefits.”
The Construction and Demolition Waste Management process helps replace up to 40% of new materials, and by repurposing the product again and again, companies are cutting down on the overall capital expenditure of their projects.
He concludes: “In the long run, making these environmentally friendly changes – prioritising waste reduction and then recycling – will create a beneficial return on investment.”
