2/5/2025
Dubai Municipality aims to meet its ambitious target three years ahead of schedule
Dubai: In just two years, Dubai residents are likely to see the landfills in the emirates closed as Dubai Municipality has announced its plan to do so by 2027, three years ahead of the previously announced schedule.
This was revealed during a media briefing hosted by the Government of Dubai Media Office (GDMO) as part of its ‘Meet the CEO’ series, featuring Marwan bin Ghalita, Acting Director General of Dubai Municipality, and various CEOs from the civic body.
Bin Ghalita highlighted the municipality’s priorities and the latest progress across a range of areas, including infrastructure, housing services, AI-driven technology, public health, food safety, and community spaces.
From delivering large-scale sustainable infrastructure to reimagining digital municipal services, Dubai Municipality is driving a new phase of urban development focused on enhancing quality of life, strengthening community wellbeing, and supporting the city’s long-term resilience, he said.
Among the CEOs of various departments, who highlighted developments in their respective sectors, was Adel Al Marzouqi, CEO of the Waste and Sewerage Agency at Dubai Municipality.
Speaking about the projects related to sustainable infrastructure and waste management, Al Marzouqi highlighted Dubai Municipality’s future plans to close all landfills by 2027.
Largest waste-to-energy facility
He pointed out that Dubai is home to the world’s largest waste-to-energy facility in Warsan.
The facility generates 220 megawatts of renewable energy every hour. That adds up to 5,280 megawatts each day—enough to power more than 135,000 homes.
The facility processes about two million tonnes of waste every year. It was developed through a public-private partnership with Dubai Holding, ITOCHU Corporation, Hitachi Zosen Inova, and BESIX Group, he said.
n July 2023, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, inaugurated the first phase of the project with an investment worth Dh4 billion.
Other projects
In 2013, Dubai Municipality launched the region’s first landfill gas recovery system in Al Qusais Landfill. Later, in another first in the Middle East, that landfill gas was converted to generate electricity through the flaring of methane at the facility.
The municipality had revealed its ambitious target to recycle 100 per cent of its waste and bring the percentage of rubbish being sent to landfills from 80-90 per cent to zero by 2030.
The Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy for 2030 aims to reduce energy demand by 30 per cent, as well as zero waste by 2030.
As per the latest update, Dubai is determined achieve the ambitious target of zero waste to landfills three years prior to this.
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Coinciding with the UAE hosting the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) in December 2023, the largest climate event in the world, Dubai Municipality and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) signed an agreement to cooperate in a project to generate electricity from biogases extracted from the landfill in Muhaisnah 5. This supports Dubai’s leading sustainability practices and the realisation of the UAE Net Zero Strategy 2050.
Dubai also has another project which diverts up to 20 tonnes of municipal waste from landfills daily. The project includes an advanced segregation facility at the Hatta landfill, transferring treatable waste to specialised units.
It covers outsourcing waste collection, transportation, and recycling services and seeks to bolster the municipality’s operations through stronger partnerships with the private sector.
Though Dubai Municipality had announced new waste disposal fee in 2018, it later postponed the implementation of the “pay-as-you-throw-fee,” giving a respite for waste transport companies and their clients.
Drainage and sewerage projects
During the session, Al Marzouqi also outlined key developments in infrastructure, including the ‘Tasreef’ project, the region’s most advanced and operationally efficient unified rainwater drainage system scheduled for completion by 2033. With a total investment of Dh30 billion, the project is now underway with four initial phases set to serve nine areas across Dubai. Contracts for these phases, valued at Dh1.439 billion, were awarded in April 2025.
He also provided updates on the Dh80 billion Dubai Strategic Tunnels for Sewerage Project, which recently completed the tendering phase for public-private partnership
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