Emirates progressively reaching its target of aluminium can collection

Continuing to save energy and space in our landfills, EEG has kicked off its 17th Cycle of the nation-wide Can Collection Day with 5,520 kg of aluminium cans collected on the 27th of February 2014! UAE's parks, private institutions, public organizations, schools, municipalities, and families were working hard on the morning of the 27th of February as residents from all over the nation took part in this movement of depositing their aluminum cans in a joint, symbolic effort to give back to our environment. More than 262 companies, schools and families embarked on a beautiful environmental voyage, hand in hand, through EEG's Can Collection Day. Each participant brought bags of cans they have been collecting for weeks to specific sites all over the UAE in their willing contribution to a culture of recycling. Everyone participating in this event was happy to be taking part in this civic duty, taking pictures and excitedly waiting to see how many kilograms they collected. The event set a good example for the surrounding communities who showed interest to learn by coming to watch the event and ask questions about the campaign. EEG has managed to gather 5,520 kg of aluminium cans on the day of the event and aims to reach 27,000 kilograms of aluminium cans before the end of 2014, in hopes of going above its set target for two years in a row. Emirates Environmental Group has developed on-going waste management programs including the collection of paper, glass, toners, plastic, mobile phones, beverage cartons, and batteries to provide a boost to the local recycling industry. The campaign for can collection was the first strategic, annual, action-oriented program for the community initiated by Emirates Environmental Group in 1997. Since the inception of the Can Collection Campaign, EEG has helped facilitate the mitigation of 3088 MTCO2E, saving 46,815 Million BTU and 4993 m3 of landfill volume. The Can Collection Campaign is a continuous activity throughout the year, giving the chance for environmentally friendly individuals to collect and bring their cans to EEG's office. Can Collection Day, Your Can for a Tree, and the Can Collection Drive which will take place on the 11th October, are three annual events under the Can Collection Campaign that aim to boost the quantity of aluminium cans being gathered and recycled. Mrs. Habiba Al Marashi, Chairperson of the Emirates Environmental Group, stated, "The world is moving towards integrated partnership and collaborative participation. At EEG, we provide the perfect platform for both. Having achieved the collection of over 25,000 kg in the year 2013, we have set the bar higher for 2014 with the target of 27,000 kg to be collected. Our collections thus far for this year have contributed to over 20% of that set total. Dear readers, we still have a long way to go. We will continually be calling on the support of private sector throughout the year in order to reach this target. The achievements of this objective will entail significant benefits: 655 m3 of landfill will be saved, 405 MTCO2E will be mitigated, and 6145 million BTU of energy will be saved. We are calling on all members of society to continue collecting. There is still 80% of the goal in front of us, so roll up your sleeves and get the process going!"