Ooredoo signs pact with be’ah for safe disposal of waste electronic equipment

MUSCAT: Ooredoo has signed a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) with be’ah to manage the safe disposal of all Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) recovered from its network.

As part of the memorandum, the hazardous materials will be taken to a state-of-the-art handling and storage facility run by be’ah in the Sultanate. This follows a previous agreement through which Ooredoo has been transporting used Lead Acid Batteries (LAB) to a be’ah facility for recycling in the near future.

Sultan bin Ahmed Al Wahaibi, Chief Business and Wholesale Officer at Ooredoo, said, “We are pleased to be building on our strong partnership with be’ah to further serve the community and use our brand presence to inspire others to safeguard the Sultanate’s environment with sustainable practices. The amount of ewaste generated from companies and households today is huge and we all have a responsibility to ensure the correct disposal of such items to conserve Oman for future generations.”

Commenting on the signing, Hilal bin Khalfan Al Noumani, be’ah’s Executive Vice President for Municipal Solid Waste, said, “The number of electronic equipment used today has been increasing exponentially as a direct result of urban expansion and population growth. be’ah has therefore established a specialized storage and handling facility and is working with various organisations to ensure they are safely disposed of. This expansion of our partnership with Ooredoo will aim to develop a waste collection system from the source and create a transportation mechanism that will in-turn open new investment opportunities that will attract the private sector.”

Over the years, Ooredoo has adopted numerous ‘green’ initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint. Baddel Smart-Swap was Oman’s first trade-in programme that allowed customers to exchange their handset for one of the latest smartphones under its Shahry plan. All handsets that were traded in were disposed of in an environmentallyfriendly manner. Going beyond the telecoms industry, Ooredoo also pledges its support to Earth Hour ever year, cutting down the use of unnecessary electrical appliances while ensuring customers are still able to stay connected.

Oman joined the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal by Royal Decree on December 7, 1994. The treaty aims to decrease the environmental risks of hazardous waste by reducing their movement across boarders and disposing of them safely in facilities nearby the source.