Averda has launched itself in Saudi Arabia, offering collection and disposal services for the private sector.
The launch was announced at the opening of the Gulf Environmental Forum at Hilton Hotel in Jeddah where it also showcased its services.
Averda said its current focus will be the Eastern, Western and Central regions of the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia produced 13 million tonnes of garbage from a population of 28 million in 2009, approximately 1.3 kg per person each day.
“With the World Bank placing Saudi Arabia as the 13th most ‘economically competitive’ country in the world, analysts believe that the country’s strong GDP, which implies higher consumer spending, is further fueling the production of waste,” Averda said at the launch.
“Moreover, the gradual shift from oil and gas production to the manufacturing and services sectors also plays a significant role in such massive waste generation.” According to the company, construction debris in Riyadh alone reached 2.1 million tonnes in 2009, with commercial and domestic waste adding another 1.4 million tonnes.
It says its initial team of 250 operatives in Saudi Arabia has the capacity to provide effective and advanced recycling and resource management. The company’s wide range of services include source separated collection, on-board weighing and on-line viewing and control.
New level of service
Speaking at the event, Walid Shaar, Averda’s chief operations officer, said: “As far as recycling and resource management goes, the Middle East region and Saudi Arabia in particular are steadily progressing in the right direction. Accordingly we are working very hard to introduce a new level of service that will help the region build an efficient waste-control system. As perceptions about the environment in the Middle East continue to gradually change, we believe that our entry into Saudi Arabia will encourage both the public and private sectors to adopt technologically advanced solutions for their resource management needs. We are proud to be making this announcement here at this event, and reiterate our commitment to the Saudi market.”
Averda said a key element in its operations was its ability to monitor its own environmental footprint through a fleet management tracking programme. The company sees such new technology as the standard model for servicing future environmentally friendly cities. It says it has deployed a range of hybrid trucks and electrically operated vehicles to safely transport waste and discarded materials in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way and that its labour and equipment are integrated and shared across its services range to manage costs and minimise downtime.
“We have high hopes for our latest venture, and we are optimistic about the impact we will have in the kingdom’s recycling and resource management sector,” concluded Shaar.
The company’s operations extend to Lebanon, the UAE, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
