Landfills in Kuwait not managed properly
KPC Environment Advisor suggests recycling waste to produce methane
KUWAIT: Landfills should be banned in Kuwait if the process cannot be managed the right way, says Dr Fatima Al-Shatti, Environment Advisor to the Kuwait Petroleum Company (KPC). In an exclusive interview with the Kuwait Times, Shatti said the right way to maintaining landfills is to use energy, i.e. methane gas, which can be produced from recycling trash. According to Shatti, Kuwait manages more than 15 landfills all over the country. However, some of them are poorly maintained. “I suggest that instead of maintaining the landfills, we should establish a central insulator,” she said. “We should also put up a recycling center so that we can turn the waste productively. If we are to maintain landfills, I suggest that we produce methane gas out of waste so that we can help reduce the use of fossil fuel.”
Dangerous
Landfills currently being used in Kuwait are dangerous to the environment and people, according to Shatti. “We have landfills, but they are not being managed properly,” she said. “They are poorly maintained. Landfills have various layers, and they can be used to produce methane as a source of clean energy. But the landfills in Kuwait have had a long-term bad effect on the local environment, because they produce poisonous liquids that contaminate fresh water.”
By setting up a recycling center, not only are job opportunities created, but Shatti believes that this project would also benefit the environment. “All buildings in Kuwait must maintain a proper waste disposal system,” she suggested.
Kuwaitis and expats carry a certain responsibility towards the country, according to Shatti. “We need to take care of Kuwait no matter where we come from,” she said. “There are some shortcomings on the government’s part when it comes to implementing laws, but that does not give anyone the right to disregard the law.” She criticized Kuwait Municipality for failure to strictly implementing laws detrimental to the environment, safety and order of the community.
“If you visit the residential areas in Kuwait, you will see how badly the garbage bins are maintained,” she proclaimed. “They are just littered, stinking on the road. Based on the law, a garbage bin must be kept in a suitable place and must be secured in front of the building and covered. But they are not taken care of. We have laws but they are not being followed because the laws have no teeth to bite violators. The problem is there is no space, as the space available outside buildings is often used for parking cars. The law states that a residential building must have at least three floors for parking.”
“So my appeal to the government is to be able to really implement the law, like making sure that the garbage bin is not be littered on the road; it must be inside the building and properly maintained,” she said. “Some people throw food outside of their buildings for the birds, but that is not the right way to show respect to animals, there must be a proper place for that.”
Education
Shatti believes that the municipality should spend more money on educating people, especially on how to maintain their surroundings and the environment. “I think that building owners must employ quality harrises (janitors)” she stated. “Most of them do not pay rent, and their only work is to collect rent and clean the building once in a while. It should be their responsibility to maintain the cleanliness in and around the building.”
“The municipality does their job by deploying as many cleaners on the streets, but those are not doing their jobs properly, so they should employ quality people to get positive results,” she said. “The environmental issue is everyone’s business and individually we all have the right to voice our opinion on what to do with the environment. Each of us should do their part. We need to spread awareness among the people to really follow the rules. We need to educate people in houses and schools, and spread awareness through TV, radio and social media,” she said.
A highly competent and skillful conservationist, Dr Shatti’s love for the environment is certainly undeniable. In fact, she has received numerous awards and recognitions for her love and passion towards the environment. A graduate of Bachelor of Environmental Science from the University of Evansville, the United States, Shatti has been tirelessly working while helping the government achieve their environment goals both in long and short terms. “My love for the country is like my love towards my mother. Whatever I do, I do it wholeheartedly with passion,” she said.
Before working at KPC, Dr Shatti previously worked with the Environment Public Authority (EPA). During her stint as environment waste manager at the EPA, she worked with the American Army. “They did not know our prevailing rules and regulations on environment at that time, so I was assigned to help them understand our laws. I started working with them as waste management manager from 1992 to 1996. I have the right to visit them anytime; I taught them how to deal with chemicals,” she said.
Always learning
She never stopped learning. In 2003, Dr Shatti acquired a PhD in dissertation in environment from Salford University, Manchester, the UK. She also attended the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification’s meeting in Ankara, Turkey, in addition to the Middle East Process Engineering Conference and Exhibition MEPEC in Bahrain and the United Nation meeting as member of the Kuwait National Ozone Committee and member of the CTOC committee in Cambodia (SIEM REAP).
She also established the Environment Protection Committee Team Charter with Plant Managers and other Units Managers to review the guidelines, policies on environment performance and foreseeing the implementation of environmental procedures. Dr Shatti was the representative of Kuwait in the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal.
“The Basel Convention is an international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations, specifically to prevent transfer of hazardous waste from developed to developing nations,” she said. “We do not have the technology to dispose our hazardous materials or chemicals. Any country that signed the Basel convention must help each other.”
“During the Gulf War, Iraqi forces hit our Doha desalination plant,” she noted. “I was a team leader at the time. The transformers used in that desalination at that time contained Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC), which is a hazardous chemical that is contagious and could trigger cancer. It was later banned all over the world as it could be very dangerous if it ever started to leak. The transformers were sent to the UK for proper treatment,” she said.
She was also in charge of conducting surveys all over Kuwait to make sure that the country was free from all deadly chemicals. “I also represent Kuwait in the Montreal Protocol which is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion,” she said. “I am the only Arab woman in this protocol team and we are trying to discover the technology that can destroy hazardous chemicals.”
Shatti also proclaimed that Kuwait is free from Asbestos, which is very dangerous. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that once was lauded for its versatility, recognized for its heat resistance, tensile strength and insulating properties, and used for everything from fire-proof vests to home and commercial construction. It was woven into fabric, and mixed with cement.
“We developed after the regulation and Amiri decree was issued for this matter,” she said. “Asbestos is still being used in many countries like Canada and United States. After the Gulf War, the amount of hazardous chemicals has increased, including radiation, and we need to get rid of it. Many chemically contaminated army tanks were also removed.”
Landfills in Kuwait are dangerous to the environment and people Kuwaitis and expats carry a certain responsibility towards the country Landfills in Kuwait have had a long-term bad effect on the local environment All buildings in Kuwait must maintain a proper waste disposal system The municipality should spend more money on educating people