Dubai is set to close all of its landfills within two years, as confirmed by the Waste and Sewerage Agency at Dubai Municipality. This decision accelerates the previous timeline, which aimed for a 2030 deadline, in response to the city’s evolving waste management strategies.

Currently, the Waste-to-Energy Centre located in the Warsan district processes approximately two million tonnes of waste annually. This facility is capable of generating 220 megawatts of renewable energy per hour, equating to a total of 5 280 megawatts each day. This amount of energy is sufficient to power more than 135 000 homes.

The latest developments regarding waste management were shared during a media briefing by the Government of Dubai Media Office as part of its ‘Meet the CEO’ series. Marwan bin Ghalita, Acting Director General of Dubai Municipality, alongside Adel Al Marzouqi, CEO of the Waste and Sewerage Agency, provided insights into various ongoing projects, including the Dubai Strategic Tunnels for Sewerage Project. This initiative aims to upgrade the sewerage system by moving from a pumped to a gravity-based system, thereby decommissioning pump stations for enhanced sustainability.

The Dhs80 billion project has recently completed its tendering phase for public-private partnerships and is progressing well. Additionally, updates were provided on the Tasreef project, which focuses on creating a unified rainwater drainage system expected to be completed by 2033. Currently, the initial four phases of this necessary drainage project are under construction, serving nine areas across Dubai. A total investment of Dhs30 billion will be allocated to the sewerage system, with contracts worth Dhs1.439 billion awarded just last month.