Ajwad District, east of Jeddah, have complained that their air is being polluted from the burning of plastic and medical waste at a dump in the area. The dump is located close to Jeddah Mayoralty's general administration of cleaning in the district. The Jeddah Mayoralty could not be reached for comment about the dump. Angry residents said that it is not only medical waste that is being burnt but also garbage, old tires and copper wires. The district is also surrounded by factories which produce rubber, carpeting and furniture. These factories have increased fears of the spread of dangerous chemical vapors in the area. Talal Eid, a Saudi resident living in the area, told Saudi Gazette that his daughter suffered from asthma and that the air pollution has made it worse. “We have complained so many times to Jeddah Mayoralty about this thing, and we have tried to stop people burning the medical waste and tires in this place, but unfortunately all of our efforts have been unsuccessful,” said Eid. Eid said that some of his relatives have even decided to sell their homes to escape the polluted environment. Residents have suggested that the mayoralty create a new waste dump at some other place, or to transport the dump to the Jeddah industrial area, in the south of the city. While Saudi Gazette was touring the area, some workers were burning garbage. Asked why they were doing this, they said the area is a well-known dumping site for burning different types of waste. Also, some of the foreign workers gather scrap from the site and sell it to scrap yards.
