Mark Siddorn, Strategic Planning and Business Performance Director at Tadweer Group, explores circular innovation in the United Arab Emirates.
When we think about the circular economy, we often look at some form of transformation or movement of a circular loop. How your banana peel becomes clean energy, or how used plastic bottles are reborn as sustainable bags or t-shirts. These stories are true, to an extent, but they are only part of the picture.
At Tadweer Group, we have invested in research and development since our inception, with one key focus: how we can treat waste and use its powers for good; specifically, unsorted municipal solid waste, which is found mixed with recycled and valuable/recoverable waste.
This includes food mixed with packaging, metal tangled with textiles, and discarded electronics alongside everyday rubbish.
Our mission is to look at this as a challenge to be harnessed, not as a problem, and to show the public how to view waste in this same way by pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
The world is facing mounting pressure to divert waste from landfill, with waste contributing 3.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2021 – more than the aviation sector.
By diverting waste from landfill, we are reducing these emissions, and unlocking the untapped value in the materials we throw away. In this context, circular innovation isn’t just a new pop culture term; it’s our collective obligation.
Why recycling is so much more than it seems
While most people assume recycling isn’t effective, and therefore don’t try, there is a small group that has continued to try to recycle the right way.
It’s true that some materials, such as clean PET bottles or aluminium cans, can be easily recycled and turned into new products, but the reality is, that much of the waste generated today is not designed with circularity in mind.
Multi-layer packaging, contaminated organics, and complex e-waste streams often end up outside the recycling loop, and this is where the producers must be much more conscious of their products.
While people are doing what they can, often with a limited understanding of what happens after their waste is collected, the real challenge is systemic: a lack of infrastructure and incentives to process waste at the scale and efficiency required.
This is how Tadweer Group is making a difference. Understanding waste, the science behind its transformation, and how to convene partners to act quickly, and closely, to establish the innovation required to make real change.
So, what can we do with our waste and what is Tadweer Group doing about it?
Traditionally, waste management was about getting waste away from people and keeping the environment clean. However, now, it’s about making use of waste for the good of the planet.
This is where the concept of waste-to-plus comes to life; the principle of unlocking the abundance of opportunity often lost when waste isn’t treated as a resource.
Take our upcoming Energy-from-Waste (EfW) project, developed in partnership with Emirates Water and Electricity Company. It’s about reducing landfill volumes and transforming residual waste into electricity that powers communities.
Similarly, our Waste to Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) project aims to decarbonise the aviation sector by turning municipal waste into low-carbon fuels.
These investments are critical to Tadweer Group’s core mission of diverting 80% of waste from Abu Dhabi’s landfills.
But we can’t do this alone; this needs public support and for communities to understand and implement the 3Rs – reducing, reusing and recycling. This is key for the success of the circular economy, using the 3Rs, seeing waste as a resource, and closing the loop on this invaluable material.
Why transparency matters more than ever
The UAE is experiencing a transformation journey unlike any other when it comes to waste treatment. Recycling is no longer a nice to have, but a necessity. We are tackling head-on the public perceptions about waste and recycling.
When people don’t know what happens to their waste, they assume the worst. If they think everything goes to landfill, or incinerators without environmental controls, they lose faith.
That’s why we are building our strategy around explaining the journey of waste, and the impact each person can have.
From our reverse vending machines to the Tadweer Rewards app that analyses recycling behaviours, we are showcasing how we can all benefit from recycling.
We’re also looking at international technology and expertise from governments, such as Japan and Australia, to understand how we can implement this thinking in the UAE.
At events, festivals, schools and within households, we help our community feel that their efforts matter, and that change is not just a promise, but a measurable outcome.
What’s next for waste and the circular economy?
Celebrating circular innovation is about highlighting achievements and acknowledging where we still need to grow.
Producers need to be more mindful of their manufacturing process. We cannot build a circular economy on products that were never meant to be recycled. This is something we’re working on, within the UAE’s first Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme, with more to be announced in due course.
People need real information, transparency and understanding of the waste journey. We’re pushing this forward with our awareness programmes and educational workshops.
Data must be shared openly, and the only way to do this is through a waste dashboard. We must show what works and what doesn’t, and this is something Tadweer Group is focused on in 2025.
At Tadweer Group, we are on the way to achieving these ambitions, but we can’t work alone. With the right partners, we can build an ecosystem where the circular economy is a working, measurable, evolving, successful system.
The circular economy is filled with opportunity and together, we can establish real, lasting innovations to keep this moving forward. Only through innovation can we transform how the world sees and uses its waste.
The circular economy is not a destination, it’s a direction, and we’re proud to be leading the journey.
The post Celebrating circular innovation in the United Arab Emirates appeared first on Circular Online.