Dubai civic body delays proposed waste disposal fee
DUBAI — The waste disposal fees for private waste transporting companies that Dubai Municipality (DM) planned to begin from May 17 is postponed until further notice, Khaleej Times has learned.
According to a circular distributed to transporting companies, the fees will not apply as previously scheduled.
Naji Al Radhi, waste management and treatment expert at DM, confirmed to Khaleej Times that the new implementation date for the fees is not yet determined. “There are no details up to this point about when the fees will be introduced, but we informed waste collection companies of the postponement,” said Al Radhi.
Earlier in February, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, issued a decree on the waste disposal fees and fines in the emirate of Dubai as of May 17, coinciding with the first day of Ramadan.
The decree aims to reduce waste generation in Dubai and encourage recycling among commercial establishments, factories, private and public institutions. The fee is also set to apply to developers served by private waste collection companies.
However, it remains unclear whether tenants will have to pay an extra waste disposal fee.
The decree determines the fees of general waste, unwanted materials such as papers, tapes, CDROMs, fee for hazardous and medical waste treatment, licence fee for activities related to waste, electronic stickers and slides and also determining the violations and fines.
If a client has 10 tonnes of waste per month, and the fee is Dh80 per tonne, that’s Dh800 a month. These charges will add up in the long run for factories and buildings.” Representative, waste transport company
Fees per tonne
The fees for disposing various types of waste per tonne had been set for three years, with a Dh5 to Dh10 increase every year till 2020.
Municipal waste going to landfills will be charged Dh80 per tonne in 2018, while the fees will be Dh30 per tonne for organic waste going to treatment plants in 2018, which will increase by the year.
Recyclable materials sent to sorting stations will be charged Dh30, Dh40 and Dh50 per tonne, every year.
The postponement news came as relief to waste collection companies. A development manager at a waste collection and transporting company in Dubai said it gives companies time to inform and settle deals with their customers and clients.
Another waste transporting company representative, under anonymity, said the fees will be a tough decision to adapt to since it will cost companies a lot.