Bee’ah, the award-winning UAE-based sustainability and environmental services pioneer, has been appointed as the waste management partner for Egypt’s new Administrative Capital, which is being developed by the Administrative Capital for Urban Development and is one of the largest urban development projects in the world.

Bee’ah, the six-time winner of the Waste Management Company of the Year in the Middle East, is the latest in a long line of UAE success stories to expand internationally and take its advanced practices beyond borders. With a vision of pioneering a sustainable quality of life in the MENA region, Bee’ah’s impressive win can be directly attributed to its proven track record of diverse achievements and innovations in the UAE.

After an impressive submission in a hotly contested bid by all major players in the waste management industry, Bee’ah will now provide its innovative solutions to the 71,400-hectare new capital that will house an anticipated population of 6.5 million and 21 residential areas. To achieve an 80 percent waste diversion rate in the city, Bee’ah devised an integrated approach to environmental management for the new capital by bringing the best of sustainable practices in waste management and technologies to enable a circular economy for Egypt and reduce dependency on landfills.
As a natural extension of Cairo, located forty-five kilometres east of the capital, the new city will house government departments, ministries and foreign embassies, and is expected to strengthen and diversify the country’s economic potential.

On the accomplishment, HE Salim bin Mohamed Al Owais, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Bee’ah, said: “This significant achievement for Bee’ah is a testament of its rapid evolution in the past 12 years and a forward-thinking innovative spirit that drives Bee’ah towards excellence. We are delighted to be awarded the largest waste management contract in the Middle East, and are keen to take our ambitions global. As sustainability imperatives become top on the agenda for governments, businesses and communities, Bee’ah will continue to drive our vision of to be a pioneer of sustainable quality of life in the Middle East and beyond.”

Driving the UAE’s green agenda, Bee’ah has achieved a 76 percent waste diversion rate for the Emirate of Sharjah – the highest in the Middle East – and this is projected to reach 100 percent in 2021 upon completion of the Middle East’s first waste-to-energy plant in Sharjah. Bee’ah’s Waste Management division caters to millions of residents through municipal services, and multiple commercial establishments which include the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, Dubai World Trade Centre. Bee’ah will also soon commence operations in the world’s busiest airport, Dubai Airport.

Through leveraging global best practices and disruptive innovations, the sustainability pioneer utilises an eco-friendly fleet of vehicles for city cleaning and waste collection.

Building an infrastructure for a circular economy and sound environmental practices, Bee’ah’s state-of-the-art Waste Management Complex processes three million tonnes of waste annually, by recycling, recovering and regenerating materials for reuse. Within the Waste Management Complex, Bee’ah hosts the Material Recovery Facility, which has an annual capacity over 500,000 tonnes and is one of the top producer of recycled materials from solid waste in the Middle East; the Industrial Waste Water Treatment Plant which can treat 300m³ of contaminated water daily; a cryogenic Tyre Recycling Facility that recycles old tyres into useful rubber products; the Construction and Demolition Waste Recycling Facility with a recovery rate of 95 percent and the Car and Metal Shredding and Recycling Facility which has the world’s most powerful shredding machines capable of processing a vehicle in 60 seconds.

On Bee’ah’s rapid ascent towards becoming the Middle East’s leader in the environmental services sector, HE Khalid Al Huraimel, Group CEO of Bee’ah, said: “Bee’ah aims to make a sustainable quality of life a reality in the Middle East and beyond, through a twin-pillared strategy of digitalisation and sustainability across our operations. We have proven ourselves in the UAE, achieving milestones such as building the country’s first waste-to-energy plant, exploring new ventures that champion sustainable mobility solutions and digital transformation to positively impact the lives of millions.”

On winning the contract for Egypt’s new capital, HE Al Huraimel said: “We are delighted to be working on such an ambitious and forward-thinking project. This new project marks the next phase of Bee’ah’s expansion as a global player across the field, from waste management and renewable energy to sustainable transportation and green buildings. Together with the Administrative Capital for Urban Development, we are certain that we will help make the new capital a smart and green city of the future.”

The development of Egypt’s new Administrative Capital is part of a broader objective to double the country’s urban space from 7 to 14 percent, through road projects and 14 new cities by 2052. The move comes as forecasts show that the population could grow from the current 100 million to 160 million by 2050, thus the need for new urban centres.

As part of a waste management strategy for the new city, the Administrative Capital has developed a Green City mandate, through Bee’ah’s integrated waste management systems. Bee’ah will also encourage community participation in residential recycling through awareness programmes. Under the Smart City objectives, Bee’ah will launch a mobile application for residents to access information and avail waste-related services. To meet the Administrative Capital’s Happy City objectives, Bee’ah will strive for customer satisfaction by continuously improving services, providing 24/7 customer service support and launch behavioural reward programs that encourage recycling.

To boost efficiencies, Bee’ah also developed the region’s first fully-integrated, digital waste management solution, WastePro+, which will be used for this project to monitor waste from collection right through to recycling and treatment facilities.

Beyond environmental management, Bee’ah’s vision is captured in its new Headquarters, set to be a benchmark for the smartest and greenest building of the future. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects for LEED Platinum certification and as net zero energy building, the Headquarters’ will be the region’s first artificial intelligence-integrated smart office technology incorporated by Johnsons Control and Microsoft.

To share best practices through consultancy, Bee’ah’s expertise is leveraged by its Consultancy, Research and Innovation division, which offers advisory and research services to help clients make informed decisions regarding environmental and ecological impact. To drive lasting and generational change, Bee’ah seeks to educate youths on the importance of protecting our planet through the Bee’ah School of Environment has a trove of useful online resources for teachers and students alike and hosts national recycling competitions that encourage community participation.

Bee’ah has set its ambitions high by launching joint ventures that meet both the region’s demand for sustainable solutions and digitalisation. Together with Crescent Enterprises, Bee’ah launched ION, the region’s first sustainable transportation company, in 2018 to offer zero-emissions mobility solutions like electric vehicle ride-hailing offerings and autonomous shuttles for cities, business districts and municipalities, among others. Meanwhile, Bee’ah’s digital arm, EVOTEQ, is currently managing one of the largest municipality digital transformation projects.