Dubai Duty Free has launched a new plastic recycling drive as it plans to encourage its 6,000 employees to recycle plastic waste.
The world’s joint top airport retailer says it is now one few companies currently sending plastic products to UAE based company Alpha Emirates to recycle plastic waste into usable products including drainage pipes, lumber, fencing, polar fleece and even carpet. Alpha Emirates provides recycling bins at the operation’s headquarter building, its warehouse and at staff accommodation, with a regular collection schedule.Dubai Duty Free Executive Vice Chairman, Colm McLoughlin said:  “This is a great initiative that helps drive awareness among our staff on the importance of reducing, re-using, reinventing or recycling the amount of plastic we use in our daily lives. This is very much part of our Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) concerns and we think that the efforts of every individual, no matter how small,  can make a difference.”To coincide with the launch of its Plastic Recycling Drive, Dubai Duty Free President, George Horan joined the management and staff in a special screening of the film ‘trashed’ at the Dubai Duty Free Auditorium. This is a hard-hitting documentary featuring Academy Award winning actor Jeremy Irons and directed by British filmmaker and journalist Candida Brady. It follows Irons as he visits diverse locations around the world that are endangering the planet due to their disorganized and ineffective refuse systems. Sponsored by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the documentary was first shown at film festivals around the world in 2012 and has been screened by various organisations to raise awareness of waste recycling ever since.        The documentary has also been screened for the Dubai Duty Free staff in all Terminals at Dubai International Airport as part of the in-house campaign to reinforce the recycling message.