The plant, which uses environmentally friendly technology, will process and recycle building waste to produce aggregate materials which can be re-used in the construction industry.

The plant is one of the largest and most sophisticated of its kind in the region. It has the capacity to handle more than 5,000 tons and to reach 15000 tons in the future. The plant will separate plastics, steel, wood, and paper for recycling.

The remaining waste will be processed to produce aggregates which will be reused in the construction industry. The plant will help tackle the problem of illegal dumping of building waste in the Emirate. Using these recycled materials will also help minimize the Emirate’s dependency on natural materials and therefore reduce the depletion of natural recourses.

The plant was inaugurated by Rashid Al Hajeri, Chairman of Department of Municipal Affairs and Majid Al Mansouri, Managing Director of the Centre in the presence of Dr. Jaber Al Jaberi, Executive Director of Environment Operations at Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD), and Tim Harwood, General Manager, Thiess Services Middle East.

The products generated from this plant will meet high quality standards developed by the Centre, which are based on global best practice. They will be used in various types of projects in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi such as the construction of roads, reclamation, and other infrastructure projects. These recycled products will have the same properties as the natural materials but will be produced at a lower cost than raw natural materials.

‘We are witnessing a construction boom in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and so construction and demolition waste have increased and filled up our landfills. We estimate that it makes up 60-70 % of total daily waste generated in the Emirate. This recycling plant will help us use new proven technologies to recycle this large volume of waste,’ said Majid Al Mansouri, Managing Director of the Centre.

He pointed out that construction and demolition waste is made of the debris generated during the construction, renovation, demolition of buildings, roads, and bridges. These materials often contain bulky, heavy materials, such as concrete, wood, metals, electrical wiring, glass, and salvaged building components. In addition, some green waste is often mixed with it, as a result of the landscaping activities on construction projects.

Al Mansouri added that the plant will be running at full production to recycle the construction and demolition waste, which will produce aggregates that can be available to the construction industry at a lower cost than the natural materials. He added that the environmental and economic benefits gained by this project are numerous, including the elimination of the huge costs of land filling this material.

The establishment of this plant comes within the 15-year concession agreement signed between the Centre and Thiess Services Middle East to build and manage such a recycling plant.