AL AIN // All homes in the Garden City will be provided with waste and recycling bins within six months, officials have promised residents.
The household bins will replace 23,000 skips, which are unsightly and unhygienic, said Hadif al Mansouri, the Centre of Waste Management-Abu Dhabi's Al Ain manager. He made the announcement during a meeting on Sunday with residents of Falaj Hazza, one of two districts that already have recycling bins. A similar meeting was held with Al Masoudi residents last week.
Representatives from the centre heard residents' comments on the recycling projects, which were introduced in those districts three months ago.
The reaction of residents has been mixed. Some say the large skips are vital, especially with the number of farms around. One resident said the black bins for waste and the green ones for recyclable items were too small and two bins per household was insufficient.
Mr al Mansouri said more bins could be provided, but asked residents to try to reduce waste and break things into pieces. For large items, residents can arrange a special pick-up, he said.
Al Ain produces 3,000 tonnes of waste every day and municipal landfills are quickly filling up, said Bader al Harahsheh, the general manager of the centre.
ealghalib@thenational.ae
THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
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
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