The events of 2020 have challenged both communities and businesses in ways that one could never have imagined. The covid-19 pandemic has affected countries worldwide and many countries are still working to control the spread of the coronavirus, as critical sectors like waste management continue to work round the clock to ensure a healthy and safe environment for all.
Although at the beginning the industry was in uncharted waters as this pandemic brought in various operational challenges to solid waste management in terms of procedures and best practices, many of these waste management companies have stood up to the test, quickly transforming themselves and raising their standards like never before. They planned their covid response, putting in place business continuity plans, adopting key strategies and introducing significant campaigns and enhanced techniques as part of their efforts to combat covid-19.
In this edition, we feature some of the waste management companies that have not allowed the effect of the coronavirus to dampen their spirits and have been continuing to operate sustainably offering innovative solutions in challenging times to make a positive impact on the industry and communities they serve.
Dulsco’s Environmental Solutions provide commercial and residential waste management systems to large communities and neighbourhoods, and cover hazardous waste, medical waste, construction and demolition waste, recycling, and material recovery.
During the Covid-19 outbreak the company immediately formed a taskforce led by the CEO to deal with potential emergencies to mitigate risks and ensure business continuity and performance. The taskforce proactively adapted to the constant changes and updates of the pandemic and came up with a sustainable solution to both business and communities.
“As a leader in the environmental space, responsible for powering better and safer communities we redesigned our vehicles to serve as mass sprayers and put them to the use of Dubai municipality to sanitise public areas in Dubai,” said John Grainger, COO of Environmental Solutions at Dulsco. “Meanwhile we have leveraged our Medical waste assets including our expertise, equipped vehicles, and specialty trained workforce to collect biohazardous waste from quarantine facilities and ensure a safe disposal of their waste in these communities.”
The company has also stressed on the importance of technology for business continuity and increased efficiency. From video conferencing tools, to the internal platform “Sharepoint” these digital platforms provided connectivity and accessibility to the company’s files and approvals enabling faster and more efficient process for internal and external transactions and communications. Above all technology helped them maintain the same high level of employee welfare as they broadcasted Dulsco Weekly Wellbeing Programme to connect with employees and oversee their mental and physical wellbeing, said Grainger.
As a result of the collective team effort and their proactive response to the crisis, he said the company was able to resourcefully grow its business by developing several in-house solutions for disinfection of the community to prevent and arrest the progress of Covid-19. This included:
Mass sprayer: Developed by the Environmental Solutions team, the Mass Sprayer System consists of a mobile tank fitted with a mist generator and remote controlled fog cannon capable of dispersing disinfectant over wide areas safely and efficiently.
Portable pumper system: Addressing the need for sanitisation of smaller or closed areas, Dulsco has equipped its teams with Portable Pumper Systems, highly effective for the decontamination of waste collection bins, vehicles and equipment.
Sanitisation Tunnel: Built by their engineering team, the Sanitising Tunnel allows commercial and publicly accessible buildings such as office buildings, medical facilities, quarantine zones, malls and markets to have a safe point of entry.
Grainger said they also identified and procured one of the most relevant disinfectant to be sprayed through this system from USA which is CBC and USEPA approved for the specific application for Covid-19. “The turbulent times that everyone has witnessed this year didn’t stop Dulsco from pursuing their goals in driving circular economy, which in itself carries the balance between economy and environment,” said Grainger.
He also highlighted the key project of the year. “As an Environmental Solutions leader Dulsco’s regenerative approach aims at transforming waste into a resource which creates value to both business and environment. A perfect example of that is our state of the art MRF or the dry mixed Recycling Material Recovery Facility which is a first of its kind MRF in the UAE with a processing capacity of 240 tons per day. We were able to complete and start operations in 2020 and now it is set to be launched in January 2021,” the COO noted.
“Year 2021 is going to be monumental for Dulsco!” commented Grainger, adding that the first and foremost priority of their business focus as the official waste management partner of Expo 2020 is “a flawless delivery of the event with an outstanding level of service.” He added that their strategic priorities for the coming year revolve around recycling and circular economy. The year will see the launch of four major landmark facilities that are going to position Dulsco at the forefront of the circular economy in the UAE – Recycling Material Recovery Facility(MRF); Oil Re-refinery facility; Paper pulp facility; and Recycled furniture product line.
“The unprecedented challenges throughout the year have revealed so much about customer priorities and business resilience. Today, as we navigated this ship to safety and stability, we can walk into 2021 more determined and confident in our ability to drive a sustainable future for our country,” he concluded.
