Waste management and recycling

Hazardous wastes pose a significant risk and danger to humans, properties and to environment if not managed properly. In accordance to this threat, Waste Management Department (WMD), Dubai Municipality (DM) published this guideline to regulate the handling, storage, and preparation of hazardous waste for transportation to disposal sites. This covers the responsibility of the individual/company generating the wastes in accordance with the local and federal laws and in relation with the Basel Convention and International Treaty.

The application for permit to dispose of hazardous waste is made by online submission of request/application through the Waste Disposal Service (WDS) system – one of the  many e-services of Dubai Municipality. The WDS can be accessed at the Dubai Municipality’s website – www.dm.gov.ae  – upon log-in with a business user ID and password. The WDS system conveniently allows applicants to file disposal request 24/7, views request status, including online payment of disposal charges and for printing on-line WDS Permit upon approval.

Scope and Coverage

• This Guideline is applicable to all hazardous waste resulting from a legal or authorized business activity of a person, party, organization or of industrial or commercial establishment that is duly registered or licensed to operate in the Emirate of Dubai including Free Zone areas.
• It also applies to other governmental organizations that, in one way or another, related to the generation and control of the hazardous waste material.

Application for the Disposal of Hazardous Waste

• Only companies who generate hazardous waste should submit their waste disposal request online to Dubai Municipality through the WDS system. Relevant documents as described in Section 5 shall be attached in the WDS application. File attachments should be in tif, jpg, gif, bmp or PDF formats only.
• Total amounts of waste to be declared in the disposal request shall be in metric tons estimated for the wastes already accumulated plus waste to be generated for next three (3) months, since permit once approved will be valid for Three (3) months only. There is no possibility of validity extension in case the paid permit remained unused or partially used after the permit expiry.
• Any company that will generate or has history of generation of at least or more than 300 m³/year (12 months) of hazardous wastewater will be required to install an onsite wastewater treatment plant (WTP). Otherwise, waste generator have the option to subcontract the treatment of liquid hazardous waste to a private 3^rd party Company that have an approved facility for the activity of Waste water & Hazardous Liquids Treatment. A  “WDS Permit” is required to transport the  liquid waste  to 3^rd  party facility.

Wastewater that exceeded the sewer discharge limit as presented in Annex 3 shall be neutralized at the source to a non-corrosive state.

• Exact address of the facility where wastes are generated and stored shall be specified in the waste location details in the application.

Analysis Report from any accredited laboratories from Emirates International Accreditation Centre (EIAC) for the following waste types and the minimum required parameters to be analyzed as per the Table below

Instructions and required attachments for specific type of wastes

• Pharmaceuticals, drugs – a Medicine Disposal Certificate approved from Ministry of Health for expired pharmaceutical products generated from drug distributor and traders; 
• Medical Wastes – Collection, handling, and disposal procedure of medical/clinical waste are explained in the Code of Practice on the Management of Medical Wastes from Hospitals, Clinics, and Related Health care Premises in Dubai (1997).
• Aerosol or pressurized containers – Aerosol or any pressurized containers in general cannot be disposed of in the landfill due to their explosive/flammable nature. These type of containers shall first be fully depressurized and punctured safely. Supporting photos that the requirements were properly adhered to shall be attached in the WDS application. Expired aerosol products shall be sent back to the manufacturer for processing or to a DM accredited waste processing facility.
• Asbestos contaminated materials – Attach photos of the wastes which will be handled as per the Technical Guideline for Safety in Handling Asbestos.
• Flammable Wastes – Provide a separate disposal request for chemicals with a flash point of below 60°C. The flash Point can be found in the MSDS and/or through a Flash Point analysis by a DM accredited laboratory.
• Chemical Wastes – Chemical wastes shall be segregated and applied for separately based on their compatibility in the WDS which is categorized according to waste type (e.g. flammables, acids, alkalis, oxidizer, and/or by reactivity). Incompatibles are those pairs of substances that, when mixed, will either react violently or emit flammable or poisonous gases or vapors. Compatibility information is available on the MSDS of the chemical. 
• Sludge – sludge shall be dewatered to spadable consistency and with no free liquid. Sample collection for laboratory analysis shall be conducted only when the sludge condition has been met.
• Empty Chemical Containers – Empty tin cans must be pressed/flattened in the waste generator site prior to collection for transport to designated disposal site.
• Waste from Vessel or Ship in Port – Waste coming from Vessel/Cruise Ship arriving in any port of Dubai shall attach Advance Notification Form for Waste Delivery signed by the captain of the vessel or ship and by the Port Reception Facility.
• Waste from Jebel Ali Free zone Companies (JAFZA), Technopark, and Dubai Ports – Attach Trakhees Approval and Inspection Report for each disposal request made online.

Definition of Terms

For the exclusive use of this guideline, the following terms, phrases, acronyms and definitions apply:

Disposal – Refers to any or combination of the following means or processes where a waste is subjected to or rendered for:

Direct tipping into landfill;

Incineration, burning or combustion in controlled manner for the purpose of getting rid of waste material;

Final deposit at any DM waste treatment complex or landfill;

The process of segregation and recovery of the materials for the purpose of recycling or reuse is not considered a disposal.

Disposal Site –  The site with defined area and boundaries intended for as the final depository of waste. It may be a final depository site of lined or unlined landfill or any dedicated facility for waste treatment.

In the case of waste intended for export, the name of the receiving state or locality shall be referred to as the disposal site.

EIAC–  Emirates International Accreditation Centre (previously Dubai Accreditation Centre) –  The competent authority who is responsible for the accreditation of private company laboratories for environmental testing.

Environmental Standards – Within the context of this document and pursuant to Local Order on the Environment Protection Regulations in the Emirate of Dubai, are the specified values of environment quality indicators or allowable limit of pollutants in the waste stream when discharge into a segment of environment, beyond which, it can cause pollution and impair the quality of the environment.

Hazardous Materials – Solid, liquid or gas materials hazardous to mankind health severely affect the environment such as toxic explosive, flammable or ionized radiation materials. 

JAHWTF/JADS – The Jebel Ali Hazardous Waste Treatment Facility / Jebel Ali Difficult Waste Landfill operated/managed by the Waste Management Department.

Landfill – An area generally used for disposal of solid wastes by burial. It is either an ordinary unlined landfill or an engineered landfill with basal lining of an impervious material and fitted with leachate collection system.

MSDS –  Material Safety Data Sheet –  is a document that contains information on the hazard evaluation on the use, storage, handling and emergency procedures related to that material. 

Recyclables –  Waste materials that are broadly classified, within the context of this Policy, as the “recyclables”  which contain valuable materials meant for recycling or reuse. Recyclables include, for example, papers, plastics, cartons, wood, metals, glass, tyres, textile, lead-acid batteries, automobiles, WEEE, and many other similar discarded used products.

Sludge – Means a solid waste or granular waste at spadable consistency with no free liquid which has been obtained from the treatment of waste or process refuse from a commercial or industrial operation.

Treatment (of waste) – Means an induced change, normally carried out in a treatment facility, in the physical or chemical composition of the waste so as to make it less hazardous, less in volume, and acceptable for final disposal.

Waste –  means any material disposed of because it is no longer needed. It includes general wastes, hazardous wastes, difficult waste and other wastes as classified so by Waste Management Department.

Difficult Waste –  is the non-hazardous material which requires special handling to avoid any unacceptable annoyance or environmental impact.

Hazardous waste (a) –  is a waste or mixture of wastes containing one or more properties of a hazardous substance, i.e., being toxic, infectious, corrosive, flammable, oxidizing, radioactive, reactive or explosive which, at certain concentration or condition and improper handling, can cause substantial harm to human, properties or to the environment.

Hazardous waste (b) –  In addition to the above descriptions, the following wastes are also considered as hazardous waste:

Medical wastes, 

WEEE or E-Waste due to its harmful components,

Any other waste unsuitable for direct disposal into the traditional landfill or sewer system due to the presence of hazardous chemical or physical components harmful to the environment.

Trade Wastewater –  is a non-hazardous wastewater generated and discharged from industrial operations or commercial other than domestic wastewater.  

Unwanted material –  is any material/goods declared by their owner to be unwanted and require disposal, or of which a decision for their destruction/disposal is issued by a competent authority, or that proper disposal requires a special care.

Medical Wastes –  Any wastes made in whole or part of human tissue, animal tissue, blood or other body liquids, secretions, drugs or other pharmaceutical products, bandages, syringes, needles or other medical sharp objects, or any other wastes whether contagious chemical or radioactive produced by medical activities, nursing, treatment, medical care, dental, veterinary or pharmaceutical or processed activities or other, tests, research works or study materials or sampling or storage of the same.

Wastewater – All spent water discharged from any activity of man or industrial process. For the purpose of this document it is further classified into 2 types namely; a) domestic wastewater, and b) trade wastewater.

Waste Generator (WG) –  Any person or party who produces the waste material and/or the Occupier and/or Owner of the premises or facility where the waste is generated. The waste generator is also the “Owner of waste”

WDS –  Waste Disposal Service – an online permitting system for disposal of all types of waste/wastewater (except domestic waste) generated in the Emirate of Dubai.

WEEE – Refers to the discarded obsolete or broken waste electrical and electronics equipments. WEEE is classified, in this document, both as special waste and as hazardous waste due to the economic value of the recyclable components and to the hazardous nature of some parts thereof. It is also called e-waste.