Why Expo 2020 was the most sustainable ever

Waste collected from site transformed into memorabilia, trophies, fruit jars, furniture and décor items

With the diversion of more than 90 per cent of cumulative waste collected before and during Expo 2020 Dubai from landfills, the event can definitely be labelled as the most sustainable expo ever, according to Joelle Saab, head of Expo 2020 Project at Dulsco, which was the official waste management partner of Expo 2020 Dubai.

During the six-month event as well as the construction period prior to that, more than 1.1 million tonnes of waste was generated at the Expo site. Of this, a vast proportion was recycled, upcycled, or repurposed to ensure the best waste management for the first-ever expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, said Saab.

Expo 2020 Dubai — the world’s biggest event since the outbreak of Covid-19 — took place a year later than originally scheduled due to the pandemic. It recorded more than 24 million visitors between October 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022. The next edition will take place in Japan in 2025.

While waste comprised mainly construction or concrete debris before the Expo launch, during the event a variety of waste items, including paper, glass, cans, and food waste was recycled into different products. According to Saab, Dulsco used eco-friendly compostable bags for their waste management services at Expo 2020.

Focused on devising an expert wastemanagement strategy with its partners, including Dulsco, the Expo 2020 Dubai team engaged all parties from the start to draft waste management policies and train staff of all stakeholders’ to meet international standards and criteria.

“Our main objective was to divert a minimum of 85 per cent of waste from landfills. To achieve this, we employed a threestream bin system — one for landfill waste, one for mixed recyclables and one for organic waste. Waste management containers were deployed both at the front and back of the pavilions,” said Saab.

In addition, videos played out at multiple sites across Expo to educate visitors on waste segregation, she added.

“Through video messaging and branded waste bins, we wanted to engage visitors from around the world. We wanted to make it as easy as possible for them to understand the concept of waste segregation and what to put in each bin. We found it to be a very successful strategy.”

Reducing the carbon footprint

The waste collection and management company which employs over 12,000 people in the UAE alone, put in place a facility within the Expo site where all the

waste collected was brought, emptied, and segregated into different bunkers or waste streams.

According to Saab, the company, which deployed a team of around 150 people on site, was making a conscious effort to reduce Co2 emissions, and therefore planned its waste transportation methodology accordingly.

“To reduce the number of external trips, we had a transfer station operation inside our central waste facility at Expo 2020, where waste was transferred into ejector trailers to be sent to Dulsco’s treatment facilities offsite. Organic waste, however, was treated mostly onsite, with Dulsco deploying composters to tackle the food waste generated from restaurants.”

According to Saab, organic waste was treated via the refuse-derived fuel (RDF) plant located inside its central waste facility. The plant is designed to treat municipal solid waste and produce RDF that can be used as an alternative fuel source to power the plant itself or even other factories across the UAE.

“The most important concept to understand is waste segregation. The moment you mix food waste with cartons and other recyclable items, it makes it very difficult for the waste to be recycled. So, general waste must be separated from recyclable waste.”

She said people’s approach to consumption has to change because they tend to buy and waste a lot of things. Reducing consumption will cut down waste.

“Also, it is vital that every new community, every new commercial centre, and every new area must have recycling bins and recycling services available,” said Saab.

OUR MAIN OBJECTIVE WAS TO DIVERT A MINIMUM OF 85 PER CENT OF WASTE FROM LANDFILLS. TO ACHIEVE THIS, WE EMPLOYED A THREESTREAM BIN SYSTEM. Joelle Saab Head of Expo 2020 Project at Dulsco