Dubai Electricity and Water Authority employees recycled 118,967 plastic bottles and aluminium cans during the first half of 2026 through smart collection machines installed across several DEWA buildings. Announced on 12 September 2026, the results form part of DEWA’s employee recycling initiative, launched in October 2022. Since its introduction, employees have deposited more than 1.41 million plastic bottles and aluminium cans, diverting over 19.83 tonnes of waste from landfill by the end of June 2026.
The machines are integrated with DEWA’s Smart Office application. Employees receive points for each deposited item and are entered into monthly prize draws. The system combines collection infrastructure with digital participation incentives to encourage the separation and recovery of post-consumer packaging.
DEWA said the programme supports the Dubai Integrated Waste Management Strategy 2021–2041, which covers recycling, waste-management innovation and waste-to-energy solutions. It also aligns with the authority’s Circular Economy Strategy.
That strategy is structured around five principles: circular design and the use of recyclable materials; optimised asset management; value retention and end-of-life treatment; promotion of renewable energy alongside energy and water efficiency; and the development of circular partnerships.
The strategy also addresses DEWA’s wider value chain through smart-user participation, circular procurement and supplier engagement. Within its workplaces, the bottle-and-can collection programme provides a measured route for recovering two beverage-packaging formats rather than sending them to landfill.
DEWA recorded a Sustainability Culture Index score of 92.33% in 2025. The index assesses employee attitudes towards sustainability and the extent to which sustainability principles are reflected in their daily lives. The authority did not provide separate totals for plastic bottles and aluminium cans, recycling destinations or material recovery rates in the supplied announcement.