By Ghadeer Ghloum

KUWAIT: Recycling and reducing plastic waste are of great importance in today’s world. With growing concerns about environmental sustainability and the detrimental effects of plastic pollution, we need to take action to preserve our planet for ourselves and future generations through recycling and reducing plastic waste, which help to conserve valuable resources, as plastics are derived from non-renewable fossil fuels such as petroleum.

KUWAIT: A young boy collects plastic waste to throw in Omniya's bins.

Recycling and reducing plastic waste contribute to the reduction of pollution, because plastics take hundreds of years to decompose, and improper disposal leads to their accumulation in landfills, oceans and other ecosystems. Hence, by recycling, we divert plastic waste from landfills and reduce the likelihood of it ending up in our natural environments, protecting ecosystems and preserving our planet. In Kuwait, Omniya, a recycling factory, is moving towards a healthier and more sustainable Kuwait, as it aims to engage the public in a nationwide recycling initiative about the disposal of plastics and reducing plastic waste.

Kuwait Times interviewed Sanaa Al-Qamlas, a member of Omniya, to discover the factory’s progression in Kuwait and its future plans. Qamlas highlighted the public’s positive interaction with Omniya. “Since the very day we initiated Omniya in 2015, we believe in humans and mainly depend on them, and fortunately, people in Kuwait, both citizens and expats, did not disappoint us, as they cooperated with our aim, which is to reach the hope of making a better Kuwait,” she said. She also spoke about Omniya’s app and development plans.

“The coming step is going to be bigger and better, as we are working on improving our application, which is the first-of-its-kind to locate garbage bins in streets with Google Maps. When you download this application, it will show the nearest garbage bin, and will give points to a user that disposes plastic in Omniya’s garbage bins. There will be a barcode on each bin, which you can scan to count the number of plastics you have disposed, and it will mark points for you. These points encourage competition between users,” she said.

An Omniya bin full of plastic bottles is seen in this photo.

“We have something called ‘Omniya Ambassadors’ — this title is only given to people who break a record in disposing plastics. One person from India became our ambassador, as he collected the most points in the app, and got rewarded for his work. We are also looking forward to collaborate with some companies to activate the redemption policy.

For instance, when the user collects a certain number of points, they can get a discount or free voucher from some coffeeshops or stores,” Qamlas explained. Qamlas shared a message from Omniya: “Join us and support us by downloading the application and disposing plastic in order to reach our goal to make Kuwait a healthier and more sustainable place for us and for the coming generations.”