Environment & Energy | Thursday 23 June, 2016 3:33 pm |

Bee’ah, the Middle East’s award-winning and leading integrated environmental and waste management company, has installed today Wi-Fi supported, solar-powered bins at the Heart of Sharjah District, with strategic partnerships established with Du and Shurooq. Designed and built by BigBelly, a leading provider of bin solutions in the US, the 10 new units represent the first phase of months-long installation plan, to roll out several hundreds of Wi-Fi bins across Sharjah and the UAE.

Situated in the Heart of Sharjah, the location of the bins put side-by-side Sharjah’s efforts in championing innovative 21st century technology against the backdrop of one of the city’s historically themed tourist areas – a reflection of the emirate’s commitment to retaining its heritage, yet keeping an eye on the future. At the current time, Sharjah is the first location to operate this type of advanced bin technology.

With an open Wi-Fi connection available to the public, these smart bins will soon be deployed across the UAE – in prominent and high footfall locations. Double-streamed for increased solar capacity, the smart bins also come equipped with sensors to detect when the bin is full. This allows them to communicate with the Bee’ah control room, alerting its cleaning and collections service division, “Tandeef”, when to empty them. The bins’ solar panels also provide energy to an internal compactor, which allows the bins to collect five-times more refuse, before needing to be emptied. 

Commenting on the new partnerships and the deployment of the new batch of smart bins, Khaled Al Huraimel, Group CEO of Bee’ah said: “In cooperation with our strategic partners, Du and Shurooq, the roll-out of BigBelly smart bins across Sharjah is another step forward in cementing Bee’ah’s commitment to environmental innovations, while increasing efficiency and utility of waste collection in the emirate.” “Bee’ah is proud to be leading the way in this area and to be the first in the world to deploy this type of technology; this is also in line with Sharjah’s vision and aim to become the Environmental Capital of the Middle East,” Al Huraimel added. 

“Bee’ah’s ongoing mandate and efforts to deliver ground-breaking products and services, like these smart bins, runs parallel to the environmental vision of HH Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the UAE Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, to protect the environment and ensure a sustainable future,” he concluded.

On this occasion, His Excellency Marwan Bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO of Shurooq said: “Shurooq’s tourism projects, such as the Heart of Sharjah, reflect our commitment to creating and developing destinations that are full of innovation and environmentally friendly technologies. In 2010, Shurooq and Bee’ah signed an MoU to work on transforming upcoming and existing tourism projects into eco-friendly destinations. Since then, Shurooq has begun considering multiple details when developing its projects, such as eco-friendly building materials, recycled materials, eco-friendly lights and various initiatives that reduce carbon footprints, truly positioning these projects physically unique. For the first time in the world, we will enable public visitors and tourists to experience this unique hybrid concept, as well as contribute to keeping our destinations clean and “green”. We are proud and pleased behind Bee’ah’s latest Wi-Fi Bin deployment in the Heart of Sharjah, which reflects our commitment to positioning Sharjah as a true tourism and investment destination in the region, as well as a leading destination for “green” initiatives.” 

From the internet service provider, Jihad Tayara, Vice President Business Development and Partnerships, du, said: “This kind of environmental innovation is a groundbreaking first in Middle East. As a responsible Emirati business, we always look for various ways to contribute to sustainability initiatives throughout the UAE, we are proud to partner with Bee’ah for the Wi-Fi bin roll out in Sharjah. This innovative project will help build an efficient and eco-friendly environment for the citizens of the UAE and in creating a sustainable smart solution which creates a valuable experience for customers, this is in line with our vision of a Smart future in the UAE.”

On the other hand, Claude LeBlond, Vice President International Business of BigBelly said: "We are extremely pleased to be part of the pioneering launch of Bee'ah's Wi-Fi bins, with Sharjah being the leader city in the region to use BigBelly's environmentally sustainable, 'smart bin' technology," "Through our partnership with Bee'ah, this roll out is a fantastic platform for BigBelly to demonstrate its smart city solutions with this advanced innovation in waste management," LeBlond added.

The new solar bins complement Bee’ah’s recently launched Tandeef Smart Eco-fleet, a revolutionary expansion of vehicular green technology that includes low noise electric vehicles – a first in UAE waste management – as well as vehicles that use Compressed Natural Gas to reduce the negative impact of CO2 emissions. Across all of its divisions and operations, Bee’ah remains at the forefront of the region’s industry in green innovation, and is constantly seeking new ways to ensure a cleaner and healthier environment.