Ministerial decision compels companies, institutions and complexes to sort waste

HE the Minister of Municipality Dr Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Subaie has issued a ministerial decision regarding the sorting of solid waste. The decision obligates companies, institutions, commercial and residential complexes, hotel establishments, commercial, industrial and similar public stores, and occupants of buildings other than homes, to provide and use an appropriate number of containers to store and sort waste resulting from their activities.

Such waste has to be disposed of in two types of containers: blue-coloured containers for recyclable waste and grey-coloured containers for residual waste (organic), the Ministry of Municipality has said. The decision clarifies the definition of solid waste as "non-hazardous solid waste resulting from the practice of various activities". It includes recyclable waste, which is waste that can be reused or recycled, such as paper, plastic, iron and glass containers, Qatar News Agency reported.

Residual waste is defined as “residues, waste or materials that are treated and disposed of permanently, such as food residues and cleaning products”. The ministerial decision also stipulates that a large sign should be placed on the container designated for recyclable waste with the words “recyclable waste” written on it, and it will be of a different colour.

The decision requires companies, institutions, commercial and residential complexes, hotel establishments, commercial, industrial and similar public stores, and occupants of buildings (except for homes), to change the type of waste containers or increase their number when they are notified by the competent municipality that the amount of waste exceeds the size of available containers, or that the resulting waste poses a public health or environmental hazard.

The competent department in the ministry (Department of Public Hygiene), in co-ordination with other relevant authorities, will monitor the implementation of this decision.