MADINAH — Bee’ah, the Middle East’s award-winning sustainability pioneer, is expanding into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in support of Saudi Vision 2030, after being awarded three contracts for waste management services in Madinah, covering the North, West and East regions. Bee’ah services will be conducted for 70 percent of the city, serving a population of 1.2 million people, as contracted by Madinah Municipality. Bee’ah will provide solid waste collection and transport services along with disinfection and sanitization of waste bins. Operations are scheduled to begin in August, utilizing around 3,000 workers, along with 350 pieces of heavy equipment, including waste collection units, street sweepers and disposal trucks. Bee’ah will also conduct training sessions, workshops, and awareness campaigns. As the region’s first fully integrated environmental management company, Bee’ah will deploy its end-to-end waste management solutions based on the twin pillars of sustainability and digitalization. The goal is to provide a comprehensive roadmap for waste services, helping transform Madinah into a sustainable city of the future. Salim bin Mohamed Al Owais, chairman of the Board of Directors at Bee’ah, said, "As Bee’ah continues to prove itself as the leading sustainability pioneer here in the UAE, we are delighted to introduce advanced waste management services and work with Madinah Municipality to ensure a sustainable quality of life for over 1.2 million people in Madinah City." Khaled Al Huraimel, Group CEO at Bee’ah, said of the agreement: "To be chosen as waste management partner for Madinah, known as the Enlightened City and one of the holiest Islamic sites, is a great honor. The two countries share strong ties and have a firm commitment to driving the sustainability agenda. “In recognition of this relationship and alignment of environmental goals, Bee’ah will bring its expertise, a proven track record in the UAE, and best industry practices to the partnership. Together, we will ensure sustainable living standards, in line with Madinah’s zero-waste goals and the wider objectives of the Saudi National Transformation Plan." Bee’ah’s efforts complement Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 targets in sustainable development, which includes raising recycling rates to 85 percent. Securing the Madinah contracts are, therefore, a notable achievement for the company, since the expected population of the North, East and West districts, where Bee’ah will commence its operations, is expected to grow from a current 1.2 million to 1.46 million by 2024. The partnership with Madinah to work toward a sustainable future for the city comes as Bee’ah closes in on its zero-waste objective in the UAE Emirate of Sharjah. Having already achieved the Middle East’s highest waste diversion rate of 76 percent in Sharjah, Bee’ah is also building the UAE’s first waste-to-energy plant in a joint venture partnership with Masdar. Upon completion in 2021, the Emirate will reach 100 percent waste diversion from landfills. A ten-time winner of the Sanitation and Waste Management Company of the Year award in the Middle East, Bee’ah’s expansion into Madinah comes on the heels of it being awarded the waste management contract for Egypt’s new Administrative Capital, which is one of the world’s largest urban development projects. An innovation leader and a pioneering force for sustainable solutions in the Middle East, Bee’ah has won multiple awards for its many ventures. Bee’ah houses several advanced recycling facilities at its Waste Management Complex in Sharjah, including a material recovery facility, industrial waste water treatment plant, tire recycling facility, construction & demolition waste recycling facility and car & metal shredding & recycling facility, among others. Bee’ah has also digitalized its waste management services through WastePro+, a fully integrated artificial intelligence (AI) digital solution to streamline its operations from waste collection to treatment and disposal. Taking a holistic approach to environmental management, Bee’ah is also active in industries ranging from renewable energy and technology, to air quality monitoring and sustainable mobility solutions through ION. Its environmental consultancy unit works with governments and commercial entities across the region to solve city-wide or national environmental challenges. Meanwhile, Bee’ah’s digital arm, EVOTEQ, is currently managing one of the largest municipality digital transformation projects and AI-integrated office of the future projects. In the UAE, Bee’ah serves the Emirate of Sharjah, parts of Abu Dhabi and serves notable commercial clients in Dubai such as Dubai Airports, Emirates Group, Burj Khalifa and Dubai World Trade Centre. This year, through the launch of Bee’ah’s new headquarters, the company is setting new benchmarks for green and smart buildings of the future. The new headquarters is the region’s first AI-integrated office of the future which is being implemented by Johnsons Control, Microsoft and EVOTEQ. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the headquarters will achieve the US Green Building Council LEED Platinum certification as a net-zero energy building powered by renewable energy and energy optimization and advanced recycling systems. — WAM