The three R’s
When I was at school we learnt the Three R’s. Reading, Riting and Rithmatic!
Now children in Europe are taught about the waste hierarchy where the three R’s stand for:
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
Sadly
in the Middle East that is not on the curriculum and kids learn from their
parents who throw their rubbish out of the car windows . They also leave rubbish on
the beach and in the countryside. So back then I argued that if Bahrain wanted to reduce the huge amount of
waste going to Bahrain’s limited landfill space they should start by educating
the children! The three R’s are part of the waste management hierarchy where we
see there are many stages which are environmentally preferable to sending waste
to Landfill- the most common route in Bahrain.
Let us look at each R in turn:
REDUCE:
Although this blog is about recycling its better to REDUCE the amount of materials that cannot be recycled- like Plastic packaging. The cheese I buy from Alosra has 3 layers of plastic around it and then they put it in a plastic bag. Ironically the Alosra staff doing this triple plastic wrapping wear tee shirts saying " I am breaking up with plastic!" .
In the Philippines they are now using banana leaves to wrap vegetables in which can go on the compost and rot down. So "Say no to plastic" - go to the farmers market with a reusable carrier bag and collect the fresh fruit and veg straight from the farmers. It's cheaper, fresher and better quality and no plastic is involved. If you forget your reusable bags when you go shopping like I used to just keep them in the boot of the car and then you always have them.
At the Oil & Gas Academy, after 2 years of asking in 2019 we finally got water fountains installed and gave every staff member and Diploma student their own water bottles. We had 200 students a day ( pre COV 19) having 5 bottles of water a day. So by this one initiative we reduced the number of bottles going to landfill by 1000 a day ( about a million bottles a year!). When you are shopping select items that can be recycled and items that do not adversely impact the environment ( eg Trigger sprays for cleaning and roll on deodorants rather than sprays. Check the expiry date and do not buy things you will not use as food waste is a major problem in Bahrain.
Teach your kids the 3 R's
REUSE:
I am now really proud of the amount of things I reuse, It saves so much money and waste, and it just needs a little imagination. I buy large yogurt pots, wash them out and store food in them. I use large water bottles instead of 3 small ones ( but trying to get Corleen and Jake to do that is a lot harder!!) . The water bottles I reuse to cool tap water for the birds and for washing salad and veg ( its so hot in Bahrain that the cold water comes out hot!) . I use old water bottles to water the plants and fill the kettle. In the garden I bought old furniture from departing expats, painted it, then Corleen made new cushions from the old foam and material from Isa Town market. When I left Bahrain I sold them all and now they are on their third incarnation at Nina and Ian's house!
When trees are cut down I get the trunks cut up and use them as edging for the flower beds, likewise old bricks and even old pallets and cable drums become garden furniture. When watering cans and buckets get a hole we cut off the tops and use them for plants. The old chemical drums from the refinery become compost bins and water buts - everything is reused and nothing goes to waste!
RECYCLE:
If I have to have it and it cannot be reused then it's recycled. In my kitchen we have bins for glass, plastic, paper and cans. My houseboys have it beaten into them that they must recycle everything from day one. It soon becomes a way of life and now even my visitors ask "Can this be recycled, which bin does it go in?". Educating the other residents of Awali has not been as easy. We have signs on the bins in English and Arabic with pictures and constantly email updates like "There is no glass recycling in Bahrain ".
Believe it or not when COV 19 first started we had to add a sign to say :
"COV -19 masks CANNOT be recycled".
Each weekend in Awali I took 4 bin bags of paper, plastic and cans to the recycling area to find VHS tapes, nappies, metal, broken glass , black bin bags, unbroken cardboard boxes etc. filling and surrounding the recycling cages! After an hour in the hot sun removing the cardboard boxes and flattening them and putting all the plastic bags and non recyclable materials in the waste bin the recycling bins would only be a quarter full. Then the other 400 households could use the bins rather than just a few selfish people who are too lazy to follow the rules. I did this week in week out for 11 years!
I took my lunch to work in recycled yogurt pots and brought them home to reuse again . I took fresh fruit to work and than took the peelings home to compost. Meanwhile my colleagues had food delivered every day in polystyrene and plastic containers, coffee in wax lined Starbucks cups that cannot be recycled and fill all the bins with their smelly food and waste . They left their computers on 24/7 and left the outside doors open to negate the effect of the AC. Meanwhile I collect ( or rather the Janitors do) all the used flip-chart paper and cardboard boxes which is recycled on my compost to keep the heat in. The waste paper I reuse to make notes and shopping lists on.
I have now given up asking for the recycling areas to be fenced in to stop the waste blowing everywhere. I got fed up of being passed from Mr Dutta to Mr Gilbert and then Mr Benoy and still nothing was done. I suggested to our Manager that he had a proper recycling area built at the Academy as a shining example to the other NOGA companies and our students. Nothing was done!
Why can we not have recycling collections from the houses like we had in the UK or a proper Materials Recycling Facility and central compost. The gardeners charge the expats to mow their lawns and rake up their leaves and then tip it in the street outside. The landscape company has to pay guys to clear it up and bring in JCB and Lorries when it gets too unsightly . It all goes to landfill. I spoke to their Manager once and he agreed to deliver it to my house. One lorry with 10 bin bags of garden waste arrived and that was it. Several emails followed but in the end I just gave up and closed my compost when I had my Hip replacement in July 2020. Shway shway the Bapco way. Once I left and sold all the compost and recycling bins Corporate services came and bulldozed the rest as it was " Non standard"
When I walk on the beach and around Awali I take a black bin bag and its soon filled with bottles, cans, pizza boxes, Coffee cups, energy drinks etc. So after 12 years here in Bahrain I give up on recycling. Let us hope I have a bigger impact in Palawan!
Maybe you should teach your kids the 3 R’s today- or better still lead by example!
Until the next blog ......
Mahal Kita
Ingat Palagi
Kita kits
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Hello, I am The British Kabayan! Feel free to read my stories.
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