54

Most plastic manufacturers are keen to promote recycling mostly because they wish to avoid bans being placed on the manufacturing of certain plastic goods. Similar bans have already been placed on plastic use in the United States. As a result numerous international companies ac-cept, treat and either reuse or resell plastic. The use of plastic milk bottles has also grown in the last 20 years, replacing returnable glass bottles. These plastic bottles were first used in 1982 and now dominate the market. They are recyclable and are recycled into pallets, returnable crates and compost bins.

Plastic fruit juice and drink bottles are also recycled into other bottles for sunscreen, detergent and household cleaners. Polyethylene film, commonly known as plastic food wrap is recycled into black sheeting for use in the building industry. Coloured plastics are recycled to make dark coloured products such as black plant pots and agricultural piping. For recycling, most types of plastic must be kept separated. This causes difficulties for the average person who must decide on the plastic type (PVC or HDPE).

Recyclable plastic waste

55

To overcome this problem the International Plastic Institute has introduced a product coding on plastic packaging to assist with recycling. The use of plastics with other products such as paper, glass and steel remains an obstacle for the recycling of these products. Unfortunately, this use of plastic is increasing, with many household products such as washing machines and refrigerators now containing large amounts of plastic. A new technology devised by Plastic Recycling Industries in Australia allows tonnes of mixed plastics to be recycled each year. This results in a new product called Syntal, a timber substitute whose uses includes such things as marine jetty piles, farm posts, outdoor furniture and road side guide posts. The advantage of this system is the fact that the plastics do not require sorting or cleaning. In addition, contaminations such as paper labels and bottle caps do not need to be removed.

There are also some refillable plastic bottles on the market, including large commercial juice containers and other translucent plastic beverage containers. This type of plastic packaging is very efficient, as they can be used over and over again. When recycling plastic products at home, such as PET bottles and milk bottles, ensure that they are rinsed. The aluminium caps should also be removed from PET bottles and recycled with other aluminium. Qatar Plastic’s Company is currently recycling HDPE bottles (milk bottles). Until better recycling facilities are estab-lished, plastic pro-ducts, especially dis-posable ones, should be avoided. At present plastics are difficult to recycle and do not break down in the environment. They also create problems for waste management because they do not readily compact for land disposal, and release toxic fumes when incinerated.

56

PLASTIC RECYCLING IN QATAR

Wasted gas pipes, which are made out of plastic, are cut into small parts and shredded into tiny pieces.

A SUCCESS STORY

57

The shredded plastic pipes are washed and dried.

The irregular shredded pieces are heated to become flexible and than drawn out into plastic threats.

The plastic threats are cut into tiny pieces which can be used as a new raw material for plastic goods.

58

*

original plastic product recycled plastic product plastic bottles plastic food wrap coloured plastic mixed plastic

59

Try to reduce your demand for plastic, by using your own string or

cloth bags at the supermarket, which will send a clear message to the manufacturers about the communities environmental attitude.

Encourage your family to purchase your groceries in bulk, therefore avoiding indi- vidually wrapped pro-ducts. Reuse old plastic bags for bin liners or wrappings for school lunches. Give all your old plastic containers to the schools art department,

or keep them for storing leftovers. Fast food plastic containers also make great plant pots!!!

It is up to us all to protect our environment.

If we all act locally you will quickly see the benefits. What was once considered routine practices such as handing out millions of

plastic bags at super-markets, or using plastic fast food containers will suddenly be out of fashion and the manufactures and commercial outlets such as fast food restaurants and big supermarkets will quickly change their ways.

The children of other countries have suc-ceeded: So come on boys & girls, lets try and make a difference right here in Qatar!!!

In the meantime boys & girls.....

THE NEW PLASTIC ETHICS

60

Apart from household rubbish there are many other things around the home that can be recycled. So before discarding any-thing consider if it can be used again.

Old books and magazines can be recirculated to friends, public libraries or hospitals and old sheets can make excellent dust cloths.

Old books, magazines, toys, furniture, electrical appliances, kitchen utensils and crockery can all raise money for charity and most of these charities will only be too glad to pick up these goods.

Other trash around the house ranging from wood

offcuts to household ornaments can also be sold.

Old cloth can be recycled by giving it to charities, such as Red Crescent and other Qatari charity organisations.

Clothing can be recycled or reused by giving it to a charity, such as the Red Crescent Society, or other charities who raise funds from clothing collections. The collected clothes are sorted, washed and then given to the needy. The older clothes are sold to rag merchants to be made into either industrial wipers, carpet underfelt or sound proof panels for cars and buses. Clothing can also be sold to second hand dealers or at markets and, with a little alteration, a lot of clothes can be worn again. Knitted items can be unravelled for the yarn to be reused. Fabrics cut up can be made into rag rugs, patchwork quilts or into gifts and toys for children. Worn towels can be made into washers or dust clothes. Fabric remnants may also be valuable to pre-schools or art and craft classes.

9. Recycling other Materials

You will be surprised at the uses that old materials can be put to:

61

Some companies in the industrial area will accept old white goods such as stoves, refrigerators and washing machines. These should be recycled to extract not only the metal, but harmful chemicals such as refrigerator gas that contains chlorofluoro carbons or CFCs, which, if released, would further destroy our already seriously depleted ozone layer in the upper atmosphere of our planet.

In Qatar thousands of motor vehicles are scrapped each year. Unfortunately though, many other vehicles are left abandoned in the desert. This is unnecessary because most car wreckers accept old car bodies free of charge and unwanted cars are also collected by the GCP and taken to the Municipality scrap yard.

Most of these car wreckers also accept old car batteries and these are completely recycled to extract the valuable lead and plastic. By recycling car batteries we significantly reduce toxic lead and acid pollution of our environment.

Tyres are also reusable and recyclable. Many car tyres are retreaded

to prolong their life. They can also be used for playgrounds, landfill, artificial reefs and erosion controls and can be recycled to make synthetic sports goods, glues, sealents and flexible grouting. Tyres are also used in bitumen for road construction. This improves the resilience of the bitumen and extends the life of the road surface.

Old oil can be recycled by removing water, metal fragments and sludge. Oil recycling in Qatar is still in its infancy and presently the Friends of the Environment Center can advise on practical ways of dealing with old oil.

Any waste items placed by the public in front of their houses will also be collected by the GCP. This is a practical and safe way of disposing of items that otherwise could be harmful to the environment if not disposed of properly. These items may include old paint, household and garden insecticides and fertilisers and used flurecent light tubes and old batteries. If you are unsure about the disposal of certain types of waste, call the Friends of the Environment Centre or the Municipality.

62

*

Go around in your class and discuss if and how the items in the room can be recycled. Make a list.

There are many other things around the home that can be put to a new use. All that is needed is a little imagination. The list is endless, have a look around your home. Be sure a lot of use can be found for things that were once considered rubbish!!!

63

Apart from individual actions such as reducing our wastes and recycling at home and school there are community actions that need to be undertaken to ensure recycling will succeed. As a nation we are one of the biggest waste producers in the world. Therefore, if Qatari society examined its own actions and initiated some positive change we could make a dramatic impact on cleaning up our local and global environment. As a community, our consumption and later treatment of goods could have certain priorities. These may include not using non essential items, directly re-using a product, recycling to form new products, the combustion of waste to produce energy and landfill as a last resort.

As a society we could replace value for money and short-term convenience with value for our environment, and our long term benefit. It is not practical to simply recycle for recycling's sake as there must be markets available for recovered products. As a society we can develop demands for these recycled and environmentally friendly goods. There are three factors to be considered when determining the financial or economic viability of recycling. 1. The availability of recyclable materials. 2. The uses for recovered materials. 3. The cost of other disposal methods. At present the recovery of available materials is very low and the potential to recycle more is excellent.

10. Ways to Increase Recycling in our Society

Reduce Reuse Recycle

64

The uses for recycled material in some cases, such as glass or metal is exceptional, but for others, such as plastics, is not so good. The cost to dump or incinerate waste at present is high and will only increase as land becomes scarcer and environmental pressures place increased restrictions on these unsustainable practices. One way to encourage people to use less packaging and produce less waste would be to modify sales tax and other resource pricing policies. Therefore over-packaged goods would reflect their actual cost to society and these products would then be easily recognised by consumers. At present, overpackaging will continue to increase because the costs of disposing the discarded package or of replacing the raw materials from which it was made is not included in its price. The introduction of Qatari environmental stan-ards in the use of packaging materials would also be useful in detering dis-

INFRASTRUCTURE

INITIATIVE

ACCEPTANCE

TO OVERCOME SHORTAGES OF THE PRESENT WASTE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES THE FOLLOWING IS NEEDED:

65

ributors from over-packaging goods. There are other actions that can be taken, such as incentives for business to use recycled products and government run waste exchanges are examples of where this has proven successful. These exchanges act as a contact point for industries that produce certain wastes, and industries that can re-use them. Promoting and developing new markets that enable the range of recyclable materials to be increased is also a positive step that can be undertaken by governments. For example the develop-ment of new products from plastic waste that are durable and can be used as a substitute for natural resources such as wood. Another scheme used in Australia converts garbage into building materials using a kiln-drying method. The garbage has all recyclable materials removed first and then is mixed with clay. This operation can convert 500 tonnes of waste per day into building bricks.

INCENTIVES

MARKETS

TECHNOLOGY

POLICIES

66

As a nation we could also examine the options of exporting recycled materials for overseas markets, and we could ensure that there are no restrictions on the export of recycled goods. At present throughout the world most government subsidies and incentives for primary production give raw materials an economic advantage as the market prices of primary resources usually reflect only the cost to the producer. These prices do not reflect the cost to the community, including the many subsidies, or the cost of depleting and degrading our natural resources which will be a major cost for our future generations. The low prices paid by manufacturers for energy is a factor that also discourages recycling as the energy industry is heavily subsidised and therefore many products do not reflect their real cost. If there were no energy subsidies for industry, recycling would be more profitable because it uses much less energy. In fact, no single factor increased recycling more than the

energy crises of the nineteen seventies. We must also look at the environmental costs, such as degrading forests and the pollution of the atmosphere, soils and waterways including in this the cost to human health and well being. When we examine all these factors, recycling wins out every time. Qatari residents should encourage recycling, inclu-ding government actions to promote waste reduction. Environmental education will play a major role in this field, and this guide will also play a part by pointing out the benefits of recycling. In the meantime boys & girls consumer demand will play an influential role in curbing waste and encouraging recycling. By supporting products that are reusable or recyclable you will be developing a demand, and this demand will help persuade manufacturers to change their ways towards a more environmentally friendly approach.

67

List possible political, economical and educational strategies to implement recycling in Qatar.

*

WE HEREWITH CERTIFY

THAT

IS A THEORETICALLY QUALIFIED

RECYCLING EXPERT

REUSE REDUCE RECYCLE

68

Boys & Girls the following questions relate to the contents of this recycling guide.

If you read this book and understand the contents then these questions will not be difficult, and you would have also learnt a great deal about recycling and protecting our environment.

Please tick one option and answer all the questions.

Please place your name, and your class number and

school name on the top of the paper.

Please give the completed answers to your teacher, who will pass it on to UNESCO.

The correct answering of the questions is a

precursor for the entry into the photographic competition.

69

Question 1. How much of Qatar’s present rubbish is estimated to have potential for recycling?

25 %

50 %

80 %

Question 2. What is the best solution for waste management?

Reduce waste, reuse products, and recycle material Put all rubbish items into the garbage can Dump all the rubbish into the sea

Question 3. How does re-using used materials help protect our environment?

It reduces the demand for raw material, it reduces energy requirements, and it generates environmental awareness

More trees will grow in the city of Doha

Qatar is more modern if its industries use up more natural resources

Name Class Teacher School

70

Question 4. What environment is displayed during the second level of the

Rashid computer game?

city beach

desert Question 5. The United Nations declared the period of 2001 – 2010 as:

The International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World

The International Decade for Waste Management

The International Decade for Resources-Recycling

Question 6. UNESCO’s Headquarters are located in:

New York, United States of America

Rome, Italy

Paris, France

71

Please submit one photo, that you have taken, that deals with the overall subject of waste management in Qatar. Please give the photo to your teacher who will pass it on to UNESCO.

The photos will be evaluated by a panel of judges.

The selection criteria for the winners are: 1. Photographic quality 2. Suitability of the subject 3. Intellectual quality

The best three pictures will be rewarded with an environment prize.

72

Name Class Teacher School

glue your photo here horizontally or vertically

and pass it on to your teacher

Title:

73