Dubai Customs announced the results of Al Grass initiative launched in April 2012 as to 35.000 Kg of papers, plastic and metals have been collected leading to preserve 118 tons of carbon wastes together with rescuing 594 trees and saving AED 218.000 being a cost of cutting trees.
“Al Grass initiative is a Dubai Customs environmental and social programme aims at encouraging volunteering activity, effective participation in rationalization and recycling of resources, monitoring levels of contribution to carbon footprint and inciting landscaping,” said Khalil Saqer, Director of Corporate Communication at Dubai Customs.
“Since the initiative firstly launched in April 2011, being the first of its kind in a government organization intended to encourage volunteerism, community participation and protection of environment, about 3 thousand customs employees replaced the dust bins within their offices by common recycling boxes distributed throughout different customs departments sections and centers,” he maintained.
“Dubai Customs was in the opinion that to cite such environment initiative as “Al Grass”, which means planting trees, describing the strong relation between trees and earth, environment and life,” he said.
“The initiative was then launched at Dubai Customs main building where three different boxes were placed to help collect recyclable waste in the Department’s offices and sections; one for paper, another for plastics and metals and the last for the other waste such as glass and the organic items,” he pointed out.
“Special boxes were also distributed to the main customs centers for recycling customs seals intending to distribute other boxes to all places in future,” he added.
“In continuation of “Al Grass” recycling initiative, the second phase was launched late in 2012 pacing with our strategy that aims to use green and clean technologies,” said the Director of Corporate Communication.
“Such initiative was designed and developed by the Information Technology Department at Dubai Customs with the objective of putting forward a uniform and consistent approach for using printers and providing a cost effective and more reliable, flexible and efficient solution together with minimizing at the same time the environment impact on Dubai Customs,” he affirmed.
“The initiative intends as well to introduce and implement a customary culture for saving printer papers and inks among customs employees,” he said.
“The initiative policies, procedures and regulations have been laid down subject to our course of actions, operational flexibility and revisable controls,” he added.