Dubai Municipality recruited 4,791 volunteers and activists during the first half of this year to ensure a healthy and sustainable environment in the emirate. Volunteers carried out cleaning workers’ tasks as part of the ‘An Hour with the Cleaning Worker’ campaign, collecting various waste on beaches, markets, and commercial, industrial, residential, and desert locations.

Eng. Saeed Abdul Rahim Safar, Acting Director of Waste Operations Department at Dubai Municipality emphasized the importance of the municipality’s commitment to fostering community service projects and volunteer work in the areas of public hygiene and environmentally friendly waste management. These donations aid the Municipality’s initiatives in waste management, protecting the environment, and preserving Dubai’s attractiveness, as well as delivering efficient municipal services to the public around-the-clock.

In this regard, Safar, said: “The ‘An hour .. with the cleaner initiative recorded 4,791 hours of field volunteer work in the field of public sanitation during the first half of this year, carried out by volunteers affiliated with 62 governmental, corporate, and civil organizations. These organizations represent a range of local community groups, including workers, students, and people of determination.  9.4 tons of trash was collected by volunteers from beaches, deserts, and residential areas. Additionally, recycling facilities received 70 per cent of the waste, making the emirate cleaner, more sustainable, and aesthetically attractive.”

This year-round project promotes the charitable and environmental endeavors of the community. The level of voluntary participation needed can be determined by coordinating with Dubai Municipality on behalf of organizations willing to take part in this program through their teams and staff.

For its volunteer community project, ‘An Hour with the Cleaning Worker,’ Dubai Municipality received the ‘Community Footprint Award’ at the 10th annual ‘Watani Al Emarat Humanitarian Work Award’, which was held under the theme ‘This is What Shaikh Zayed Loves’. The UAE further secured the first place in the ‘Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd International Foundation Insignia for Voluntary Work’, owing to this initiative.