Abdullah Al Rushud

RIYADH: A workshop on waste management was held at the Embassy of Japan in Saudi Arabia on Nov. 30 for the purpose of promoting environmental sustainability in the Kingdom.

Ambassador Fumio Iwai delivered a speech in Arabic and English. He stated that taking steps toward waste management would help promote the environmental protection and public health within the Kingdom.

Abdullah Alsebaei, CEO of the National Waste Management Center (MWAN), was also in attendance. The Center organizes and supervises waste management activities, promotes investment, and improves product quality, applying the principles of circular economy in waste management to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.

 Ziyad Alshiha, CEO of Saudi Investment and Recycling Company (SIRC) also attended the workshop. The SIRC funds innovations that provide practical solutions to diverse environmental problems in the waste management sector.

Also in attendance were Takashi Endo, President of Mitsubishi Research Institute’s Middle East Regional Office, one of Japan’s leading private sector think tanks, as well as Japanese corporations with experience in the waste management field.

In an exclusive interview with Arab News Japan, Ambassador Iwai said “the Government of Japan is prepared to participate in the implementation of a waste management system, as a partner to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Using digital technology to develop the system, it will take less time than Japan.”

He added that Saudi Arabia may want to adopt a Japanese-style process when incorporating its goals into its policies, as it has set an ambitious 15-year schedule.

In a separate interview, the CEO of the MWAN Center said: “One of the missions of the National Waste Management Center is to spread insights on waste management, and improve the quality of the sector. This can only be achieved by training and educating companies, institutions, and their respective employees, and by making every resident of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia aware of the new waste management system.”

”The SIRC is committed to complementing the circular economy approach by leveraging innovative waste recycling solutions throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, encouraging and stimulating investment in all types of waste management systems, and taking measures to protect the environment,” said SIRC’s CEO. The company contributes to addressing various environmental issues.

Using Japan’s experience and achievements in waste management, the Mitsubishi Research Institute proposed solutions, technologies possessed by Japanese companies, and bilateral cooperation for the implementation thereof to achieve Saudi Arabia’s ambitious goals.