Community waste management initiatives a great first step

Growing up in Jeddah, I had the privilege of witnessing the contrasts between the city, the sea and the desert. Each is worthy of respect, along with the different forms of life that make up their ecosystems.

In Jeddah, we always talk about the love we have for our city, wanting to explore the sea right beside us, and wanting to breathe in the fresh air provided by the desert. So why is it that we disregard something we claim to love so much?

As a little girl, it always bothered me seeing people throw out empty plastic bottles and tissues from their cars. I would cringe whenever I saw empty cans fly into the sea or plastic bags get stuck in bushes.

Driving from Jeddah to my family’s farm, I see so much trash fill the sides of the roads year after year. The Red Sea is not as vibrant and alive as it used to be. So much trash floats on and beneath the surface. The environment around us is dying, the city is growing with despair and people need to be aware of this reality.

My family and I always took the initiative to recycle because we understood that our level of waste production was not sustainable. We found a center called Mawakeb Alajer that collects recyclable plastics. They have a proper waste management system, in which they sort through donated plastics and take the recyclable items to factories. Most people in the city do not know of these drop-off points, or may not know the harmful effects of large-scale waste production.

Thanks to initiatives taken by the people of

Jeddah, we have some new ways to manage our waste. Naqaa Sustainability Solutions is a social enterprise that has launched green initiatives that promote environmental awareness in the community.

It aims to build sustainable waste management programs and introduce high-quality recycled products. It works to raise awareness of these issues among the general public and push for a stronger, healthier and more responsible community. Naqaa does this by contacting businesses to develop a sustainability plan for their offices. They also go out to local parks around the city and teach kids how to keep their parks and neighborhoods clean.

Other groups with the goal of sustainability include Jeddah Ploggers and Team Up To Clean Up. These groups have made the effort to go around the city with volunteers and clean up our streets. The trash collected is then taken to be sorted through. There are also growing educational programs starting from the ground up. People are creating movements and are taking corporate as well as personal responsibility for waste management. This is great news, but more needs to be done in order for this information to reach the general public of Saudi Arabia.

These are small steps taken toward a largescale environmental issue. Each citizen needs to participate in proper waste disposal in order to make a difference over time. It would be great to see official waste management solutions provided by our government as part of the country’s general waste management planning. That would make it easier for citizens to take part in making our homes and cities environmentally sustainable. We have the privilege to access the required information and the ability to enact change. This is our home and our planet — it is our responsibility to keep it clean.