In a country that has an abundance of everything, you would think that we could protect it from becoming a wasteland of trash. Just count the amount of things that we amass, food that we throw away and unnecessary stuff we buy just to prove that we can.
A recent article detailed how Dubai is running out of space to dump all the rubbish that it creates; in fact, one of the dump sites will be closed down because it has reached capacity. I just shook my head at the story: not only are we contributing to an avalanche of waste, but in many cases it is just dumped in the desert or incinerated, which creates more pollution.
Amid all the commercial and residential development of recent years, our efforts should be focused not only on where people live, work and play, but also on how to live cleaner and less wasteful lives.
With an average of 550 kilograms of rubbish per person per year, the emirate of Abu Dhabi is among the world's largest per capita waste producers. The Government's solution - recycling - is just getting underway.
The ethic of the three R's - reduce, reuse and recycle - is actually just a theory here, with many businesses jotting down made-up numbers to satisfy the auditors. The fundamentals don't mean much. Some people will mock recycling efforts because at the end of the day, after rubbish has been sorted at home into different recyclable categories, it's all dumped into the back of the same rubbish truck.
We are in the habit of giving up too easily. Most people who live in a large city look for convenience rather than take the trouble to do the right thing and be a good citizen. And even people who continue to recycle or reuse find their efforts are futile when carefully separated waste goes into one big landfill.
In such a fast-moving country, government, business and members of the public all define the national character. This is a collaborative process. No single element of society can solve all of these problems.
Once people are educated about the importance of recycling, and separate bins are provided, rubbish collectors need to demonstrably keep the different categories of waste separate, and waste-collection companies need to show that the processing is done in an environmentally friendly manner.
Al Ain provides a good example, with processing plants treating medical, animal and construction waste officially opened by Abu Dhabi's Centre of Waste Management last year.
There is much more that businesses and the public could do. To start with, markets should stop handing out plastic bags. I can't count the number of times I bought a pack of gum, and was given a useless bag.
In terms of personal responsibility, there is a lot we can do to conserve. Instead of throwing food out, we can give our leftovers to charities or mosques. Consumers should consider what they buy in terms of the byproducts that will be left behind.
Artistic and creative people can make use of the things they already have at home so that they don't throw it away to make room for something new. Sometimes, old is gold. The stuff you think isn't "in" anymore could actually be vintage.
Government programmes have a role to protect the environment and encourage recycling. But all of us have a responsibility to lend a helping hand.
Aida Al Busaidy is a social affairs columnist and former co-host of a Dubai television show
On Twitter: @AidaAlB
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
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Profile
Name: Carzaty
Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar
Launched: 2017
Employees: 22
Based: Dubai and Muscat
Sector: Automobile retail
Funding to date: $5.5 million
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
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6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs: 2018 Jeep Compass
Price, base: Dh100,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.4L four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 184bhp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 237Nm at 3,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.4L / 100km
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THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5