MUSCAT, Feb 10 - The Gulf region’s largest e-waste processing plant will be operational in the Sultanate this year. Eighty-five per cent of work on construction of Evergreen Gulf Recycling Hub (EGRH) is complete, said Shaikh Salim Ahmed Ali Qatan, Chairman. The facility, coming up on a site in Raysut Industrial Estate, Salalah, Dhofar Governorate, is expected to safeguard the environment by reducing hazardous waste. Shaikh Salim told the Observer that this is the first large-scale integrated e-waste processing and recycling facility in the country.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
“We offer complete e-waste management services, from collection to recycling, industry-specific waste management, quality control and sustainability solutions for businesses and corporations.” The facility, licensed by Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs, has the capacity to recycle 10,000 tonnes of all kinds of e-waste per annum, he said. The company’s long-term goal is “to serve as a one-stop destination for the collection and processing of electronic waste serving all the governorates of the Sultanate.’’
EGRH will be equipped to handle full spectrum of e-waste generated in Oman. E-waste produced in the Sultanate in 2017 alone stood at 110,810 tonnes, according to the Lynx magazine, issued last month by the National Field Research Centre for Environmental Conservation. While part of this waste stream is trucked by road to the UAE for recycling, a sizable proportion ends up in landfills, say experts. The items to be handled by the upcoming facility includes computers, monitors, printers, microwave ovens, television and music systems, mobile phones, fluorescent bulbs, air-conditioners, cables, wires, motors, lead acid and alkaline batteries and so on.
MARKETING STRATEGY
EGRH is awaiting results of a tender from be’ah, wholly government-owned holding company, for finalising a marketing strategy. “Besides the 10,200 sqm2 land consisting of the factory, we recently acquired an additional land of 8,000 sqm2,” said the official. To ensure the waste reaches the facility, be’ah had said earlier it was planning to communicate with the main producers and conduct awareness campaigns targeting different segments of society. Environmental reports indicate that each personal computer or mobile phone contains more than half the elements of chemical elements. If not treated properly and safely, by recycling or safe disposal, e-waste poses threat to human health and the environment.
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