Engineer Nouf Wazir is pictured in front of a waste management facility under construction at the Bee'ah company in Sharjah.
The UAE, one of the world's top oil exporters, is building the Gulf region's first waste-to-power plants to ease its chronic trash problem and, at the same time, its reliance on gas-fuelled electricity stations.
Green groups are unconvinced. They say advanced recycling, composting and changing habits amid grossly wasteful rates of consumption would be better for the environment.
But Ms Wazir argues there are ways to make use of rubbish that cannot be recycled.
The Sharjah facility is expected to launch this year, burning more than 300,000 tonnes of waste per year to power up to 28,000 homes.
