Waste & Recycling Middle East .

The company has collaborated with Italy’s Nord Engineering to bring an environment-friendly, cost-effective waste collection system that also supports recycling programs

The UAE is a young nation with a lot of scope for infrastructural planning and development and it is the same with the neigbouring GCC countries as well. Hence, it can be said that the region is at the stage where sustainable urban developmental projects can be planned and implemented. Waste management is an integral part of urban development and following the green uprising and environmental awareness in the region, municipalities and project developers are looking to model new waste management projects on sustainable lines.

At the regional level, municipalities have become more aware of the fact that proper waste collection is one of the key elements in the reverse logistics chain and they intend to actively address the challenges related to recycling and sustainable development. The UAE has seen major awareness drives concerning the benefits of recycling. With the active involvement of private waste collection companies who are doing their bit to collect recyclables as an economically viable revenue stream; the recycling campaign will gain more momentum especially with the participation of both the public and private sectors with their CSR initiatives.

There are many ways in which versatile, modern and practical waste management solutions can be applied in any kind of urban or industrial setting to attain recycling and sustainability. One such system is the Nord Easy urban waste management system introduced by Bluestream Environmental Technology LLC, a decade old waste solution provider in the region. Bluestream has tied up with Nord Engineering s.n.c, Italy to bring the Nord Easy System to the Middle East.

With urban waste management having become an essential aspect of modern living, the Nord Easy solutions seem to be well-suited for implementation in medium to low-rise as well as high-rise areas with varying population density levels. The Nord Easy solution can be a combination of over-ground containers, underground containers as well as semi-underground containers, all of which can be serviced by a single Nord Easy System vehicle. The Nord container units are available in a variety of sizes from 3CBM to 7CBM, hence the flexibility for installation in any part of the city. Underground systems remove many of the hazards traditionally associated with waste left outside premises, fly tipping and foraging by street cats. The Nord Easy System vehicle is a single-person-operated, waste collection vehicle equipped with robotic lifting arms for emptying containers from the street on to the compactor which is loaded on the vehicle. The Nord Easy System functions with a roll-on /roll-off mechanism for loading/off-loading the compactor.

Suvarna Jeetandra, managing director of Blue Stream Environmental Technology LLC is of the opinion that the Nord System will do well in the Middle East as the need for a custom-designed waste management system that can fit in well with the growing Middle East urban infrastructure exists in the region. Clinton Theil from Thiess Services Middle East seconds this opinion. “The Nord system is more suited to the Arab countries due to the ways the streets and the parking areas
are structured coupled with the way the waste collection cycle is handled here. It is the way forward for the region because of the underground and above-ground waste storage features and the recycling options available with the Nord system.”

Complete Automation

 The automation of the waste collection process seems to be a more humane and practical solution for urban waste management as there is complete elimination of human contact with the waste. Suvarna Jeetandra, managing director of Blue Stream Environmental Technology LLC is of the opinion that as the region’s waste management industry is moving towards more sophisticated and automated waste management systems, the focus will eventually be on faster collection time, larger volume collection, lower labour and annual maintenance costs and reduced traffic congestion during collection routines. the NORD Easy underground containers have no electrical or hydraulic parts in comparison to other similar systems which drastically decreases the initial costs as well as the
long term maintenance costs of the units.

         

The versatility of the Nord Easy System allows collection of containers from either side of the vehicle upto a distance of 5m from the center of the equipment. After collection, the Nord Easy System vehicle doesn’t need to go to the landfill every time a compactor is full; the vehicle simply returns it to the compactor depot and picks up another empty compactor to continue the collection cycle. A regular Hook Lift Vehicle can then collect the full compactor from the depot and transport it to the disposal or recycling site.

“With the Nord Easy system, municipalities and waste service providers will be ensured that their collection is continuous and much more economical in the long
run. The collection time is also one of the shortest in the industry at about 1min, enabling rapid collection from the busiest parts of the city with minimal traffic congestion. “We believe the UAE is gearing up to bring about these changes due to the proactive and forward thinking attitude of the concerned authorities. They have the dynamism to bring about the required changes by adopting advanced technology in waste collection and disposal,” says Jeetandra.

Once in place, the Nord Easy system will help in replacing the traditional way of waste collection which involves either - front loading, rear loading or side loading systems by a revolutionary technology that is suitable for a sustainable urban landscape. However, the system also has an optional side loader which can be used to accommodate existing DIN Compatible Containers from a capacity of 240L upto 1100L.

Supporting Recycling Program

Modern waste management demands that waste collection units should not only fulfill the need for collecting waste but should also facilitate recycling by collecting recyclables as well. The Nord system’s unique adaptability to regular waste collection as well as recyclable waste collection is a very attractive option for cities that are looking to implement recycling programs in the near future.

          

In addition, the Nord Easy System incurs no annual maintenance costs which is true for over-ground container units as well as underground systems which do not have any hydraulic parts. The Nord System waste container units have no wheels which makes them completely immobile. The containers thus cannot be moved by residents and repositioned around parking areas and cause delay in the municipal collection cycles. “Steel and plastic waste containers come at a major annual maintenance cost to the municipalities due to frequent damage to the wheels. The damages occur as these containers are mobile; hence, the immobile Nord container units turn out to be more cost-effective in the long run.” The implementation of the NORD Easy System has had a phenomenal impact in the percentage of recyclable waste collected versus general waste in various locations. In Turin, Italy - the Municipality saw an increase of recyclable waste collection up from 20% to 60% after the NORD Easy System was implemented. A large part of this increase is attributed to overall design of the system which works to attract, educate and involve the general public as a integral part of the recycling campaign.

Maintaining hygiene

Another major cause of concern for municipal authorities and waste collection service providers is the liquid waste that leaks to the ground from existing waste bins generating malodor and creating a ripe habitat for disease-causing germs. Owing to the consumption habits of the residents, the waste in the region constitutes a lot of leachate or liquid waste. Nord containers are designed with liquid waste / leachate collection tanks at the bottom of each of their container units. These leak-proof tanks can hold up to 250 liters of liquid waste and offer the perfect solution to address the waste issues of the region.

A mobile washing plant which can thoroughly clean and sanitize waste collection bins on a regular basis is also an essential part of the urban demand for sustainable waste management. The Nord system has a Mobile Container Washing Unit which can be loaded onto the vehicle that can completely clean and sanitize both the interior and the exterior of container units, both over-ground and underground.

Blue Stream and Nord Engineering are targeting the growing cities in the Middle East with this system, especially Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Riyadh, Jeddah, Muscat, Manama etc. Having been very successful in Europe, it is to be seen if the Nord Easy System meets with the same approval and rating here in the Middle East.