Garbage dumpsters will soon disappear from Jeddah’s streets, Abdulaziz Al-Ghamdi, Jeddah Municipality spokesman said.

 

Garbage containers will be kept underground across the city’s streets in a first-of-its-kind move.

 

The project, estimated to be worth more than SR80 million, seeks to drastically reduce the number of containers and garbage compactors both on Jeddah’s major streets and small alleyways.

 

“The new decision will be implemented by next year pending extensive study,” he said.

 

“These plans will ease traffic congestion and make the streets aesthetically appealing,” he said. “We are currently surveying streets, conducting tests on soil samples, constructing blueprints and undertaking mechanical and electrical work to ascertain how we will place garbage containers underground.”

 

Underground holes will possibly be three meters wide, two meters long and two meters deep, while containers at the top of these holes will be 70 cm wide, 60 cm long and 110 cm deep, he said.

 

“The municipality has been drafting a pilot program for garbage recycling to enhance the sustainable development of resources,” he said.

 

“We have installed garbage containers for various types of waste. This was a pilot program to gauge community responsiveness. A media campaign was also launched to educate the public about the importance of recycling in preserving the environment.”

 

He added: “The initiative had garnered positive results, although negative environmental practices remain a challenge.”

 

He said: “This is to be expected because the experiment is still in its embryonic phases. We want to promote the notion of sustainable recycling of local resources, which will be used as cheap feedstock.”