Web Reporter: Abu Dhabi, UAE
The Integrated Transport Center of the Department of Municipalities and Transport launched a new initiative entitled “Plastic materials in exchange for the trip tariffs by public transport buses” .This initiative allows public transport users to obtain free transportation on public buses by handing over empty plastic bottles and converting them into points used to pay the trip fares on buses, in cooperation with the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Center for Waste Management “Tadweer” and a company Dgrade , which specializes in recycling plastic materials and converting them to different industries in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner. Empty plastic bottles are deposited in ” Dgrade ” machines , and in return for these bottles, points will be obtained for each plastic bottle. This initiative aims to increase recycling rates in cooperation between the relevant strategic partners.
This balance can be collected and transferred to the personal “bus” card, which allows customers to pay the trip fare through the automated payment system available on public transport buses, where the system calculates the value of the required trip and automatically deducts it from the cash value stored inside the card in the automatic collection machines installed at the entrances and exits of the buses . In the first phase, a device will be provided at the main bus station in Abu Dhabi city, to replace empty plastic containers with vouchers containing point balances. Tadweer will provide the necessary support in the process of collecting these plastic bottles from the main bus station and transporting them to the treatment facility designated for them, to be dealt with according to the best sustainable and environmentally friendly practices.
بهدف تعزيز مساهمة قطاع النقل في نشر ثقافة الحياة المستدامة في إمارة أبوظبي وتبني المبادرات المبتكرة، أطلقنا مبادرة لاستبدال العبوات البلاستيكية بنقاط في بطاقة حافلات.
— "ITC" مركز النقل المتكامل (@ITCAbuDhabi) March 28, 2022
لقراءة الخبر كاملاً، يرجى زيارة موقعنا الإلكتروني https://t.co/KyyxbJ4eou المركز الإعلامي- الأخبار pic.twitter.com/WtQEuZFpSK
The center indicated that the points are calculated in the following form, each small bottle of 600 ml or less is equal to (1) point, while a large bottle of more than 600 ml is equal to (2) points. Each point is equivalent to 10 fils, meaning that (10) points are equivalent to (1) dirham. The Integrated Transport Center has prepared all the details, requirements and instructions for this initiative, and clarified the mechanism for collecting points and highlighting them, along with the devices designated for depositing empty bottles.
The Integrated Transport Center explained that this initiative aims to promote a culture of sustainability emanating from the vision of the Department of Municipalities and Transport and the Integrated Transport Centre for a better life in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and to support environmental sustainability in the emirate, in addition to encouraging individuals to use public transport by taking advantage of the points are earned as credit to pay trip fares.
“Plastics for the Fares of the Trip by Public Transport Buses” is an example of cooperation between the Integrated Transport Center and strategic partners in the public and private sectors to support the state’s policies towards reducing plastic waste, protecting the environment, supporting recycling operations, encouraging the reuse of resources and giving users of public transportation means Public transport rewards for their responsible behavior and in a way that promotes the dissemination of a culture of sustainability and increases the role of society in preserving the environment and adopting an environmentally friendly lifestyle in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.