ABU DHABI: Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) and RECAPP, Veolia’s digital recycling solution, have been on a mission to collect over 14,000 aluminium cans from schools and homes across the UAE. This cool partnership kicked off last year to get young folks excited about recycling aluminium and being eco-friendly.

Starting with a dozen schools near EGA’s spots in Jebel Ali and Al Taweelah, they’ve now expanded to 20 schools and even do pickups from homes. Did you know UAE peeps gulp down about 660 million aluminium cans each year? Sadly, only a third of those get recycled, while heaps—like over 440 million cans—end up in landfills. That’s where EGA and RECAPP step in.

Together, they’ve snagged 145,000 used drink cans this year alone. That’s a big win for saving resources and cutting down on energy use.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, the boss at Emirates Global Aluminium, gives props to RECAPP and his team for teaching young peeps all about recycling aluminium. He says it’s super important for building a sustainable society.

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Jerome Viricel, the big cheese at RECAPP by Veolia, adds that recycling aluminium uses a whopping 95% less energy than making new metal. This partnership isn’t just about cans—it’s part of Veolia’s big plan (they call it GreenUp) to clean up the environment and make sure we’re all recycling right.

RECAPP by Veolia is part of the Aluminium Recycling Coalition started by EGA back in 2023. Their goal? To get everyone on board—can-makers, drink companies, and trash experts—to recycle more in the UAE.

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This teamwork isn’t just about now—it’s paving the way for a greener future in the UAE. Plus, EGA is building the biggest aluminium recycling plant in Al Taweelah. When it’s done, it’ll be recycling a whopping 170,000 tonnes of aluminium every year.