Be’ah ready to deal with increased waste generated during Eid-Al-Fitr in Oman

Muscat: Oman will witness a surge in the production of municipal waste in crucial areas during Eid-Al-Fitr celebrations, forcing authorities to increase the waste collection frequency, officials at a key waste management body said.
“We’re expecting an increase in the quantities of waste that will be generated during the Eid period,” Murtadha Al Lawati, head of Corporate Affairs at Be’ah, Oman’s waste management body, told the Times of Oman.
He said Be’ah has plans to deal with the anticipated increase in waste in the South Batinah and South Sharqiyah governorates, where Be’ah has “almost” completed a sector takeover from the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources.
“The plan includes increasing the frequency of collection during the last few days of Ramadhan and the first two days of Eid,” the official said.
Be’ah officials said they will be placing additional large metallic skips in different strategic locations throughout the concerned governorates and wilayats (provinces) to provide additional collection capacity in areas “that we anticipate having a higher waste generation rate.”
Animal slaughter waste
“Furthermore, Be’ah’s transfer stations and landfill facilities in both governorates will be open for longer hours during the Eid period to meet the expected increase in the collected quantities of waste,” Al Lawati said.
Civic bodies and health experts have been regularly urging food industries, retailers, caterers and consumers to reduce food waste.
More food is wasted during the Holy Month of Ramadan than in any other month, with hotels, resorts and households being the major contributors. Wastefulness continues to touch new levels in the Sultanate. Food (26 per cent) tops the list of municipal waste composition that ends up in landfill sites, according to official data.
Oman has nearly 317 dumpsites and four landfills. The Sultanate produced about 1.85 million tonnes of municipal waste in 2015, which is projected to reach 2.04 tonnes by 2040.
The Be’ah official said they are also working on raising awareness about the need to follow recommended practices for the disposal of waste generated from animal slaughtering.
The waste management body has urged residents to place waste from animal slaughtering into plastic bags that need to be securely closed before placing them inside the nearest available bin.
“This is a practice that we hope will raise awareness in the entire Sultanate as in the past, waste from animal slaughter was not disposed correctly and caused a number of health and environmental issues,” Al Lawati added.
Minimise Eid Food Waste
Calling for effective waste management at the household level to minimise Eid food waste, he said, “Minimisation or reduction of waste generation is at the top of Be’ah’s agenda. In order for us to control our carbon footprint, we need to reduce, reuse and recycle. The environmental cost of an item isn’t just a reflection of what’s needed to make it. It also reflects the energy used in the item’s production and the impact it will have when we use it and throw it away. This cost is felt both in Oman and around the world.”
He added, “As waste breaks down in landfills, it releases gases that play a part in climate change, and some waste, such as certain kinds of plastic, never disappear.”
By making smart decisions about what people buy and how they get the most out of their purchases, Al Lawati said, “We can work together to reduce the amount of waste Oman produces.”