UAE's plan to burn 2/3 of trash seen negating carbon neutrality goals

The UAE is constructing a $1.1 billion waste-to-energy facility in Dubai that will help burn up to two-thirds of the country’s trash to deal with a growing refuse problem.

The facility is part of a series of waste incinerators, which include a smaller plant in Sharjah and two projects in Abu Dhabi.

The program will potentially make it harder for the UAE to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, as burning trash creates carbon emissions.

Sharjah-based waste company Bee’ah will mitigate this by creating green spaces, install a 120-MW solar array, and produce hydrogen from the garbage to fuel its garbage trucks.

Sharjah will also close its landfill site.

Environmentalists favor recycling, but it is extremely challenging to turn plastics and other waste into usable products.