Positive Energy

Presentations from panels consisting of key traders, collectors and consumers of recovered fibre and plastic helped make the Paper and Plastics Recycling Conference Middle East an event that was well received by the more than 180 delegates in attendance. The event was held 27-28 February at the JW Marriott Hotel in Dubai.

The inaugural Paper and Plastics Recycling Conference Middle East was held in late February 2012 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Thanks to the enthusiastic response of participants, the organisers of the event are already making plans for the second edition of the conference in 2013.

Co-organised by the Recycling Today Media Group and Media Fusion, publisher of Waste & Recycling Middle East magazine, the event brought together more than 180 people from 26 countries.

The roster of attendees, speakers and exhibitors included collectors, processors, traders and consumers of recovered fibre and plastic scrap, as well as service, technology and equipment providers to the industry.
 

A Worthy Gathering
Conference co-organiser James R. Keefe of the Recycling Today Media Group says he was grateful for the enthusiastic response to the event and also commended the efforts of regional partner Media Fusion.

“It was gratifying to see not only a number of delegates that exceeded our expectations, but to witness and experience the eager start-to-finish participation of the delegates, who filled the programme room throughout the conference and interacted with speakers and exhibitors throughout the two days,” says Keefe. “This event would not have been possible without our pivotal allies at Waste & Recycling Middle East magazine,” adds Keefe, noting that the magazine staff led by Taher Patrawala and Asfia Khan “found the right speakers, exhibitors and delegates to bring together to make this event one that has ‘clicked’ from the very start.”

Comments from attendees also were positive. “The Middle East is a very promising market for plastics and paper recycling, and this provided a wonderful opportunity to interact and exchange ideas with the people of this region,” says Surendra Borad, chairman of Belgium-based scrap trading firm Gemini Corp.

“At the sessions, you get to know the difficulties, the challenges and the opportunities that [are in] this region, which is rather segregated from Europe and the U.S.,” adds Borad. “There are things going on in the recycling industry here that you don’t read about in the newspaper, but at this conference you can get it first-hand.”

Atul Kaul, director of pulp and paper for Saudi Arabia-based paper manufacturer Waraq Arab Paper Manufacturing Co., remarks, “It was a great initiative to have this conference here in Dubai. It was very logical for this conference to be held in the Middle East, and as we can see with this level of participation, there is a lot [concerning recycling] going on in the Middle East, which is growing as a consumer of both recovered fibre and plastics.”

Ranjit Baxi, managing director of London-based J&H Sales International Ltd. and a recovered fibre trader with three decades of experience, remarked, “In the last three or four years, emerging markets have really been taking the lead. When [the organisers] called for a conference here, I knew it made sense [and would help me] understand what is happening in the market here.”

Baxi said the event more than met his expectations. “What surprised me is the number of small-to-medium enterprises in this sector and the awareness of recycling that has been created in this region. So many companies are endeavoring to walk on the path of recycling. This has opened new doors for me and I have been able to find and build new contacts,” Baxi said.
 

Useful Updates
The conference offered a roster of 10 sessions, with topics covering the collection, processing, trading and end use of both types of scrap materials.

The event opened with remarks from Her Excellency Dr. Mariam Al Shenasi, Acting Undersecretary of the Minister of Environment and Water for the United Arab Emirates, on behalf of His Excellency Dr. Rashid Bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water.

Later, delegates heard from speakers representing three major paper mills in the region: Atul Kaul of Waraq Arab Paper Manufacturing Co.; Mohammed Ahmed Mowkley of Obeikan Paper Industries Co.; and Mubrak Al Khater of Saudi Paper Group.

Kaul noted that the Middle East region is growing as a consumer of recovered fibre, with mill companies in his company’s home nation of Saudi Arabia now adding capacity that will cause it to consume 1.1 to 1.2 million tonnes of recovered fibre each year.

Al Khater provided information gleaned by Saudi Paper Group as it has studied the yield and cost-effectiveness of various recovered fibre grades it has used as furnish.

The conference’s first plastics-focused session offered insights from three major players in the Middle East plastics recycling industry and provided an overview of this growing sector.

Ranjish Sinha of Bansal Petrochem International LLC referred to recycling as “the industry of tomorrow” and predicted that the collection rate for plastic scrap items such as PET bottles “will continue to grow.”

Meanwhile, Tarek Al Mousa of Kuwait-based Metal & Recycling Co. KSC (MRC) said his company has tripled the volume of plastic scrap handled in 2011 versus 2009.

More information on conferences organised or co-organised by the Recycling Today Media Group can be found at www.PaperRecyclingConference.com.

The author is editorial director of Recycling Today Global Edition and can be reached at btaylor@gie.net.