Jafza, Imdaad reduce landfill waste by 37% with new waste-to-fuel plant

Photo: Dubai Government Media Office 

Jebel Ali Freezone (Jafza) has successfully reduced its landfill waste by 37% in just nine months this year. This achievement is the result of a new partnership with Imdaad, a company in Dubai that focuses on the sustainable management of facilities. This partnership is an important step in the UAE’s goal to create a circular economy, where resources are reused rather than disposed of.

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A new refuse-derived fuel (RDF) plant made the significant drop in landfill waste possible. The RDF plant takes leftover waste from Jafza's material recovery facility and turns it into fuel for industrial furnaces. This process replaces the use of fossil fuels, helping the environment.

Jafza and Imdaad developed the RDF plant as part of a joint venture called FARZ, which was established in 2020 at the National Industries Park in Jebel Ali. Initially, FARZ treated 1,200 tonnes of waste per day, recycling 12-15% of it, while sending the rest to landfills. With the new RDF plant, FARZ now processes an additional 150 tonnes of waste every day and converts it into clean energy used for industrial manufacturing.

Since January, the new initiative has achieved impressive results:

• 37% of waste has been redirected from landfills.
• The plant has generated 312 million kWh of renewable energy, enough to power thousands of homes.
• It has saved the equivalent of 201,137 trees by reducing CO2 emissions.
• It has also saved 2.2 million cubic meters of landfill space, which helps reduce environmental damage.

Looking ahead, Imdaad and Jafza aim to divert over 80% of waste from landfills by 2026. This goal will be achieved by fully integrating FARZ into the waste management system of Jafza. This project is part of a long-term contract with DP World to make the UAE's logistics sector more sustainable.

Abdulla Al Hashmi, the Chief Operating Officer of DP World GCC, stated that sustainability is a core value of DP World’s operations. He emphasized that moving toward a circular economy helps reduce the need for fossil fuels and turns waste into a valuable resource. He also highlighted that this partnership with Imdaad is an important step toward setting new standards for environmental responsibility in line with the UAE’s sustainability goals.

Mahmood Rasheed, the Chief Operating Officer of Imdaad, said that this project shows their commitment to the UAE’s environmental goals. By turning waste into clean energy, they are significantly reducing their environmental impact. He expressed pride in working with DP World and Jafza to create innovative solutions for sustainability.

This project is a key part of the shift towards a circular economy. In this system, waste produced in Jafza and DP World sites is collected by Imdaad and transported to FARZ to be processed. The energy created by the RDF plant can power the facility, be used for industrial purposes, or be stored for later use. By reducing landfill waste and creating energy, the plant helps the environment and boosts economic stability.

DP World also has similar waste management projects in other countries. For example, at Santos Port in Brazil, DP World follows a zero-waste strategy where all waste is either recycled, composted, or used to generate energy. In Mexico, DP World has worked with Regenera to develop a circular waste management system that turns used tires into alternative fuels for the industry.