Rubbish crews make a clean sweep after party

DUBAI // Cleaning crews were out in force to pick up litter from parks, roads and beaches in a huge operation in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

After residents and tourists brought in 2017, Dubai Municipality workers were gathering up bottles, food trays, cans and bunting and confetti in bags.

Work to clear the rubbish off the streets and pavements was completed hours before the city woke up to the new year.

At Dubai’s newest attraction, the Dubai Water Canal Boardwalk, bags of rubbish were stacked along the path for collection before fitness fans set out for their morning jogs or walks.

“I have filled 50 to 60 bags of garbage since 4am so that everything is clear when people wake up. It’s our job to get everything back to normal,” said Mohammed Arif, a civic worker.

“Usually people keep the path clean, there are only a few bottles to pick up but on New Year’s Day the rubbish piles up.”

More than 1,000 staff from the municipality and private companies pitched in early yesterday when the festivities ended.

Last year, workers cleared 23 tonnes of waste from the Downtown Dubai area.

“The most collected again this year is from the Burj Khalifa area. Workers have just finished so we will have details later,” said a municipality official.

“The main areas where there were too many people was Burj Khalifa, Downtown and surrounding Business Bay areas, Sheikh Zayed road, the new canal, Burj Al Arab, the Beach, Al Sufouh beach, Al Khail and Al Wasl roads.”

In Abu Dhabi, an army of cleaners was deployed at the Corniche and Abu Dhabi Breakwater where the majority of people watched the midnight fireworks.

“I started working from 4am until 1pm. Almost all trash was collected and now we are dusting up the corners,” said Bangladeshi cleaner H M.

After a hectic few hours, the capital’s, roads, pavements and beaches were clean once again.

In Sharjah, cleaning crews were out on the streets from 6am.

A cleaner at Al Hira beach said the amount of rubbish left behind after the new year’s celebrations was more than usual.

Meanwhile, families returning to Al Buheira corniche on New Year’s Day were happy to find the area clean and tidy.

“It was almost spotless since we came at 10.30am,” said Syrian Naser Ahmad.

Last month, Sharjah Municipality distributed leaflets urging visitors to keep the city clean.