The region's first Paper and Plastics Recycling Conference was officially inaugurated by Dr Mariam Al Shenasi, acting Undersecretary of the Minister of Environment, United Arab Emirates, on behalf of Dr. Rashid Bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water. She was accompanied by HE Hamad Al-Ameri, General Manager, The Centre of Waste Management Abu Dhabi and. Abdulmajeed Al Saifaie, Director of Waste management Department, Dubai Municipality. Al Shenasi drew the attention of the audience to the UAE's 2030 Sustainability Program, "Estidama" while stressing on the importance of recycling not only paper and plastic but other commodities as well. At the "Paper Recycling in the Middle East" session, delegates heard from three important paper makers in the region. Atul Kaul, Director, Pulp & Paper, Arab Paper Manufacturing Co., Mohammed Ahmed Mowkley, General Manager, Obeikan Paper Industries Co., and Mubarak Al-Khater, CEO, Saudi Paper Group, each provided insights into the activities of their companies and the paper recycling sector. Kaul and Mowkley commented on the growth occurring in the region while Al-Khater gave a summary of research into the quality and cost-effectiveness of recovered fibre grades that his firm has conducted.
