How waste was converted into different products

Joelle Saab revealed that the waste leaving the Expo 2020 site did not go to landfills but to the company’s facilities. She said Dulsco’s material recovery facility in Ras Al Khor segregated all the mixed recyclables. After segregation, it was sorted into different types of singlestream material ready for recycling.

Bulky items to furniture

Dulsco converted all bulky waste into new furniture and other decor items which were sold online via its New Old and Reloved website. “This allows people to buy sustainable and eco-friendly new items made from recycled material,” she revealed.

Plastics to T-shirts

Plastic collected at Expo 2020 was recycled into T-shirts and other apparel in collaboration with various small and medium businesses.

Glass to trophies, memorabilia

Glass collected from the site was transformed into memorabilia, trophies, fruit jars, etc.

Biofuel made from cooking oil

Saab said the Dulsco vehicles used to collect waste at the Expo site were powered by biofuel made from previously used cooking oil collected from the site and recycled. “We also had electric vehicles like buggies and towing cars across the site. As such, from a transportation perspective, we not only reduced the number of trips leaving Expo, but we were also conscious of the vehicle emissions within the site,” she said.

Solar-powered bins

Solar-powered compactible bins were deployed in the public realm. “We call them smart bins because the waste is compacted using solar power.

“In addition, we could remotely track the fill level of each bin to avoid unnecessarily driving to check bins. This further reduced the movement and transportation associated with waste management onsite,” she said.