‘ Green Haj’ helps reduce environmental hazards in Saudi
■ Camps in town of Mina insist on cutting back waste, recylcing usables
Thousands of cleaners are busy separating plastic from other rubbish as more than two million Muslims wrap up a pilgrimage to Mecca that presents a huge environmental challenge for Saudi Arabia.
The Mamuniya camp in Mina near the holy city is dotted with colour- coded barrels — black for organic waste and blue for cans and plastics for recycling.
It’s all part of an initiative to reduce the environmental footprint of the Haj, one of the largest annual
More than 42,000 tonnes of waste are produced world’s gatherings. during the pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest sites, according of Mohammed al- Saati, head of sanitation for the Mecca municipality. “We’re facing some real challenges, primarily the sheer volume of waste produced ... along with the number of pilgrims, the limited space around the holy sites, different nationalities and the weather,” Saati told AFP.
“Islam as a religion does not encourage excess,” he added.
“Pilgrims can be friends of the environment. It starts by raising awareness back home.”
The Hajj, which started on Sunday and ends on Friday, drew nearly 2.4 million Muslims from around the world this year, according to official Saudi figures.
More than 13,000 sanitation workers and supervisors were hired during the pilgrimage season, which saw temperatures rise to 44 degrees Celsius ( 111 Fahrenheit) this week.
A handful of camps in the town of Mina, the site of the symbolic stoning of the devil ritual during hajj, have begun to implement plans to turn “green”, cutting back on waste and encouraging pilgrims to do their part.