Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — The municipality dump in Al-Asla'a valley received around 1.8 million tons of solid waste from metropolitan Jeddah during the past Hijri year while 2.7 million tons of construction debris still remained in the city, Al-Madina newspaper reported.

The municipality's media center attributed the continuous increase in the volume of solid waste in the city to the ongoing development work and a rapid increase in population. It said per capita production of waste has also increased.

The operation and maintenance team at the dumpsite reported that they receive around 2,880 tons of waste daily during a 16-hour shift.

According to environmental experts, one viable solution to reduce the volume of waste is to separate organic matter for recycling. The recycled waste can be turned into organic fertilizers or biofuels.

The department for recycling in the municipality received a delegation of students from the Faculty of Engineering at Umm Al-Qura University in Al-Asla'a valley. The visit was part of a scientific research project pertaining to waste management.

The delegation comprised 30 students, who were led by Dr. Faisal Bin Abdulrahman Asrah, assistant professor of environmental engineering.