Abu Dhabi has begun work on a waste recovery center designed to process 400,000 tonnes a year, a project intended to expand recycling capacity as the emirate works to cut landfill use.
Tadweer Group said Oct. 22 that on-site work had started on the Material Recovery Facility. Gulf News reported that the project is being developed with international environmental company Urbaser as part of EcoPark.
The facility is planned to handle 200,000 tonnes of household waste and 200,000 tonnes from commercial and industrial sources each year, Gulf News reported. To prepare waste for recycling or further processing, it will combine advanced optical technologies with AI-assisted sorting and automated equipment, the outlet reported.
EcoPark is intended to host several waste-treatment and recycling approaches in one development, according to Gulf News. Abu Dhabi’s target is to divert 80% of its waste from landfills by 2031.
Gulf News quoted Tadweer Group Chief Executive Officer Etienne Petit as saying the project would increase the emirate’s ability to recover materials from waste. It also quoted Rafael Guinea, Urbaser’s Waste Treatment General Director, as saying the company would apply its waste-treatment experience to the development.
Gulf News reported that operations are expected to start in the second quarter of 2028.
