The designations employed and the presentation of the material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimination of its frontiers or boundaries.

All rights reserved

© 2003 UNESCO

© 2003 (for re-production and distribution solely in The State of Qatar)

Ministry of Education

Rashid the

Recycler Recycling Guide for Qatar

Ronald Abdalla Loughland

Arabic translation: Omyma Osman Text illustration: Salim Wrydani Layout: Bärbel von Römer-Seel

Technical Assistance: Michelle Fletcher, Lucia Kingsley, Zahra Larsen,

Martina Lukascewicz, Bärbel von Römer-Seel

English review: Michelle Fletcher Arabic review: Shawki Saad’ Eldin

Hobbies and Interests:

Put your picture here. You are the latest member of the recycling movement in Qatar

After you have read this booklet, decide how far you personally could contribute to recycling in your environment and who could help you:

Name: Birthday:

Content

Acknowledgements Foreword 1 Introduction 6 1. Recycling - the facts 12 2. How to use this book 18 3. How to get started

At school 20 At home 27

4. Recycling food & garden wastes 32 5. Paper recycling 37 6. Recycling glass 43 7. Metal recycling

Steel recycling 47 Aluminium recycling 50

8. Plastic recycling 53 9. Recycling other materials 60 10. Ways to increase recycling in

our society 63 11. Quiz 68 12. Photo contest 71

Acknowledgements

Most of this study was carried out in Doha, Qatar. We would like to convey our gratitude to the personnel of the UNESCO Office Doha, as well as the staff from the Municipality Waste Centre, Doha, the Friends of the Environment Centre, Doha, as well as the Hamad Medical Centre, Doha. Special thanks are due to Dr. John Bishop, Dr. Saif Al Hajiri, Dr. Ahmed Kotb, Dr. Fay J. Gotting, and Ms. Reema Jamal Al Gazamey, who provided crucial information, Ms. Martina Lukascewicz, Mrs. Lucia Kingsley, Mrs. Michelle Fletcher, Mrs. Zahra Larsen and Mr. Shawki Saad’ Eldin, who provided technical assistance throughout the project, Mr. Henning Schwarze, who assisted with the CD-Rom production, and Mrs. Bärbel von Römer-Seel for the layout. The production of the first volume for Qatar was financially supported by Qatar Petroleum (QP), Qatar Fertiliser Company (QAFCO), Qatar Liquefied Gas Company (QATARGAS), Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY), and UNESCO’s platform on environment and development in coastal regions and small islands CSI. Qatar Airways provided the transport of the recycled paper from Munich to Doha, and we are very thankful for that. Professional photographs for the CD-Rom were provided by the Qatar News Agency, as well as by Mr. Henning Schwarze and Mr. Christian Scholl. Special thanks also to QVisions’ professional help in developing not only the CD, but also contributing to all phases of the project.

…all these people have helped us!!

Foreword The United Nations proclaimed the period 2001 - 2010 as the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World, and has invited, UN bodies, non-governmental organizations, religious bodies and groups, educational institutions, artists and the media to actively support the Decade for the benefit of every child of the world. We are hereby inviting you too to take part in this global movement for a culture of peace, by pledging to “Preserve the Planet” * through your active participation in the Recycling Project. UNESCO contributes significantly to the preservation of the environment through the various programs, notably:

Environment and Development of Coastal Regions and Small Islands (CSI),

Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB),

International Hydrological Programme (IHP),

Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC),

International Geological Correlation Programme (IGCP),

Management of Social Transformations Programme (MOST)

World Heritage.

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The UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network (ASPnet) also promotes environmental protection and encourages students to confront problems of local concern and carry out activities in areas including pollution, energy, forest conservation, marine and atmospheric research, sustainable development and recycling.

By reading the recycling book and exploring the CD-Rom, guided by Rashid the Recycler, you will gain more knowledge on waste management problems in Qatar, you will also become more aware of your role in environmental protection through recycling and above all this project will give you the opportunity to act locally and impact globally! Participating the quiz with photographic competition makes you eligible to participate the prize and you can win a visit to UNESCO’s Headquarters in Paris and get to know more about UNESCO’s international activities. Science & Technology based waste management will not only contribute to cleaner landscapes, cities, and environments, it will also help saving costs, and generate jobs and income in the waste management industry.

The UNESCO Office Doha actively promotes recycling activities in schools since several years with its Qatari partners.

KN

OW

LED

GE

A

WA

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ESS

A

CTI

ON

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.

……that’s you!!

This new book with an environmental quiz is an intersectoral product of science,education, and culture. It is another important milestone towards the development of a sophisticated waste manage-ment culture in the coastal city of Doha.

a quiz!!The author and his

assistants who produced this recycling guide have collated information on waste recycling and current waste disposal practices in Qatar. Throughout they have shown great sensitivity towards waste reduction, reuse, and recycling, with special emphasis to educate the young members of our society.

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Education and awareness of the young is essential for the successful convertion of the current waste management system into a culture of civic pride that cares for the cleaneliness of its surroundings. The children of today will be the environmental managers of tomorrow

This book is an essential contribution to the improvement of Qatar’s environment, and we strongly recommend it for all citizen above age 12.

Gilane El-Gewely

Assistant Programme Specialist

Gulf regional ASP network coordinator

UNESCO Office Doha

Benno Böer

Programme Specialist Environmental Sciences

& Sustainable Development

you can sign the Manifesto 2000 on-line at the following address :

<http://www.unesco.org/iycp>

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..saw me already, yeah? Couldn’t wait to meet you ……

Hello boys & girls, I’m Rashid the Recycler. I want to be your friend. I love the environment and I want all my friends to understand how we can all help to protect our environment by thinking globally, but acting locally here in Qatar. Come with me on a journey of discovery and explore the world of recycling and waste management. After our journey you will know all about recycling and this will help you to protect our environment. At the end of our journey there will be a recycling quiz, and for my lucky friends who answer all the questions correctly there will be a chance to take an even greater journey to Paris to visit the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, and observe recycling in action!!!

again this quiz.. ....and what

a prize…

….have you ever been in PARIS?????

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SO BOYS & GIRLS, LET OUR RECYCLING JOURNEY BEGIN!!!

Recycling and waste reduction have become globally increasingly important and are set to become two of the major issues confronting our society in the coming years and beyond. Qataris and expatriates living in Qatar are amongst the highest users of packaging and generators of waste in the world. This

places great pressure not only on our environment but also on our society, because something has to be done with all this rubbish.

Introduction

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On average every man, women and child in Qatar throws away over half a tonne of rubbish each year. Doha residents alone discard millions of tonnes of garbage annually, enough to fill a large sports stadium.

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It has been estimated that up to

80% of this discarded garbage could be recycled.

At present only 3% is recycled. The recycling of the other 77%

would mean a saving of millions of Riyals on waste disposal each year.

To make the situation worse millions of Riyals worth of recyclable resources are thrown away in the waste system in Qatar annually.

However, Qatar is not alone and similar situations exist in all the Gulf States.

There are four basic ways of dealing with all this rubbish:

P R E S E N T

S I T U A T I O N

1: We can bury it. 2: We can burn it. 3: We can recycle it. 4: We can reduce the amount we produce.

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DOs DON’Ts

..any doubts what is best???

Reduce Reuse Recycle

Land disposal and incineration are very expensive and pro-duce large quantities of various pollutants.

Recycling reduces the quantity of materials requiring disposal and therefore saves: money

time natural resources energy

For these very reasons, the Government at all levels is urging and supporting recycling.

As a result, many schools in Qatar are involved in schemes to collect recyclable goods from students.

Reducing the amount of rubbish we produce is the best solution to waste minimisation.

People who recycle will become aware of how much rubbish they actually produce.

Recyclers fast become conscious of what they consume and what they do not need to buy.

The environmental and economic problems of waste disposal now facing North America and Europe will soon occur here in Qatar. We have only a few years to get on top of our waste situation and there is a solution: -

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*stands for activity!!

Just do it to become an active recycler to avoid this!!!!!!

Imagine 50 objects from your personal environment and write them down into your book. Now sort out in a table if they can be: reduced reused recycled The objects can fit in more than 1 column

*

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tively as a society, can save considerable amounts of money and time. In addition, we will be helping to conserve the valuable resources of our planet. This guide will show you not only how to reduce your waste, but willhelp you save money, time, and help you contribute to saving the planet!

In the past many people have wanted to recycle, but have not been able to, simply because they did not know what could be recycled or what to do with the material once it had been collected. This book provides many answers. By picking up this book you have taken the first positive step. By following these three simple steps we as individuals, and collec-

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Recycling is the recovery of used materials and the re-processing of these materials back into either their original form or into new products. The re-use of a product after cleaning or other treatment is another type of recycling. Metal, for example, can be recycled back into similar products, as can glass. Materials such as paper and plastics are generally recycled back but as a less refined product. Recycling is a most effective way of minimising harmful impacts on the environment.

This is achieved by:

conserving natural re-sources

reducing the demand for energy. Other benefits are:

the reduction of litter, ground water and soil pollution

the saving of expen- sive land-fill space. There are also individual and community benefits such as:

saving money on waste disposal

generating additional employment in the recycling industry

developing a sense of civic pride and environ- mental awareness.

1. Recycling -the facts

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On a grander scale, recycling can produce significant savings on the nation's balance of payments. This involves the use of secondary recycled materials in place of imported primary materials, hence reducing our import debt. By recycling, the energy required in materials production can be reduced by between 60-90%. When you consider that world steel production consumes as much energy annually as Qatar produces by exporting oil & gas, then you can begin to comprehend how much energy and hence money can be saved by recycling! A prime example of energy saving is provided by the humble aluminium cans that contain various soft drink beverages. By recycling these cans, up to 95% of the energy that would be required to pro-duce these same cans from raw materials could be saved.

Despite the fact that Qatar almost leads the world in waste production, we are still producing more and more each year. Since the nineteen eighties waste from all sources has increased dramatically. If this trend continues, within twenty years Qatar will produce so much garbage that the disposal costs alone will generate incentives to divert materials for recycling. Already in the United States many city dumps are full. These cities are forced to seek out alternatives, which often include export to other areas. Garbage is actually being exported to many third world countries and this makes waste disposal costs extremely expensive. This crisis is not surprising when you consider that: In 1986 United States consumers spent more on food packaging than the United States farmers earned selling their crops! As a result of the growing waste problem in large international cities, some municipalities may soon be giving their residents cash incentives to reduce their garbage.