Beeah launches AI-driven facility to strengthen zero waste to landfills goal

Company aims to help Sharjah increase its current landfill waste diversion rate to 100% this year

Beeah Group has operations spanning waste collection and city cleaning services, waste processing and materials recovery, as well as renewable power energy. Photo: Beeah

Beeah Recycling, the waste processing subsidiary of Sharjah-based Beeah Group, has launched a recycling facility that will use technologies, such as robotics and artificial intelligence, to automate operations.

The new commercial and industrial waste recycling plant is "the first of its kind in the region, with a robotics and AI system that automatically detects, identifies and separates different types of waste", state news agency Wam reported.

It aims to help Sharjah achieve 100 per cent landfill waste diversion this year, up from 76 per cent at present.

The new recycling facility intends to process around 156,000 tonnes of mixed recyclables per year, translating to about 500 tonnes of waste per day, Wam reported.

“By employing future technologies and AI vision to optimise material recovery, we are accelerating towards zero-waste targets and creating positive impact for society, the environment and the circular economy,” Wam quoted Khaled Al Huraimel, group chief executive of environmental management company Beeah, as saying.

“We believe that achieving zero waste to landfill future is a cornerstone for tomorrow’s sustainable, smart cities, and we look forward to achieving this goal for Sharjah."

The facility is the tenth addition to Beeah Recycling’s waste management complex that is spread over an area of nearly four square-kilometres.

More than 10 different types of material will be recovered from the new recycling plant, including aluminium, plastic car parts, wood, paper and cartons.

Commercial residue from the facility will be sent to the solid recovered fuel facility, which was launched by Beeah Recycling last month, Daker El-Rabaya, chief executive of Beeah Recycling, said.

At the SRF, the commercial residue is transformed into alternative green fuel. It transforms commercial residue waste into a high quality alternative green fuel in cement factories, where the fuel will be injected into the kilns during production.

“With the use of robotics and AI, the C&I facility processes waste and recovers material from mixed recyclables faster and more effectively for reintroduction into the economy,” Mr El-Rabaya said.

“Combining our new C&I facility with the SRF facility, we have demonstrated that integrated waste processing can drive our goals of sending zero waste to landfill for the first time in the Middle East. At the same time, we are generating value two-fold; from recovered materials and waste-derived fuels.”

Beeah Group has operations spanning waste collection and city cleaning services, waste processing and materials recovery, as well as renewable power energy.

It also has units focused on environmental consulting, research and innovation services, future technology and digital ventures, and green mobility and self-driving transport.

Last month, Beeah Group joined forces with Egypt's Green Planet to provide city cleaning services for Egyptian resort city Sharm El Sheikh, which is gearing up to host the Cop27 climate change conference in November.