Bee’ah, a UAE environmental leader with a global impact

SHARJAH, 12th September, 2021 Since its inception in 2007, Bee’ah, a Sharjah-based company primarily concerned with environmental and waste management, has envisioned a future built on sustainability, and empowered by innovation and digital and smart solutions to bolster the quality of life in the UAE and the MENA region. In an exclusive interview with the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Fahad Shehail, Group Chief Operating Officer of Bee’ah, said that one of the most important projects the company will launch in the near future is the region’s first waste-to-hydrogen facility, through a partnership with Chinook Sciences, a US and UK based technology company. This facility will use green hydrogen to power Bee’ah’s future fleet of waste collection vehicles. Another important project to be launched soon is the waste-to-energy plant in Al Saja’a, he added, explaining that the facility will divert over 300,000 tonnes of nonrecyclable waste away from the landfill every year, and generate 30 MW of clean energy, powering up to 28,000 homes. "The project is close to completion and should be fully operational at the beginning of 2022," he continued. Shehail noted that Waste Management Complex has processed over 500,000 tonnes of waste during the first seven months of 2021, which reflects Bee’ah’s efforts to protect the environment, in line with the company’s zero-waste goal has helped, reaching a 76 percent waste diversion rate through an integrated waste management approach, a testament to the company’s success in this respect.

Regarding Bee’ah’s ongoing projects outside the UAE, Shehail said that his company is operating in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. In Saudi Arabia, Bee’ah is offering advanced waste management services across three sectors, ensuring a sustainable quality of life for 2 million, and in Egypt, Bee’ah was appointed as the waste management partner for Egypt’s new Administrative Capital. Bee’ah will support the Capital through waste collection and city cleaning, and waste treatment and disposal. Bee’ah has taken great strides to adopt best practices in waste management and is leading the way in the region to become the first company to focus its efforts on environmental solutions and managing waste efficiently, to reach its zero-waste goal. A number of waste recycling facilities have been established at the Waste Management Centre to recover and recycle various materials, including paper and cardboards, plastics, metals and aluminum, as well as organic food, electronic and industrial liquid waste. Moreover, Bee’ah is establishing facilities to generate renewable energy through landfill gas extraction and solar energy. Bee’ah works with a number of partners including Emirates Steel and foreign customers from Asia, Africa and Europe to buy and sell recyclable items. Bee’ah believes in empowering children through environmental education to take positive actionfor their future. Through a network of more than 252,000 students and 6,500 teachers, the Bee’ah School of Environment (BSOE) has been a force of change since its launch in 2010. In addition to engaging students through expansive lesson plans, animated videos, and activities on its interactive web portal, the BSOE conducts presentations and workshops at schools across the UAE. The BSOE also hosts the nationwide Environmental Excellence School Award (EESA) on an annual basis, to encourage environmental innovation, creativity and recycling habits among students.