Mecca Handles 4,000-ton Garbage Per Day During Hajj Season

Medina, Saudi Arabia (Antara) - The Mecca City Government deals with some 4,000 tons of garbage per day during the hajj season under a Smart Waste System using digital technology and smart phone application. "Everyday, we handle about 4,000 tons of garbage during the hajj season or around 40,000 tons in ten days of hajj season," Deputy Minister for Urban Affairs Ibrahim Altohaimi told visiting foreign journalists recently in Mecca. The garbage is sent to an engineering landfill covering 1.5 square kilometers in Mecca in which the garbage will be planted by using high technology, Ibrahim said adding that the garbage is expected to unravel within 20-50 years. He pointed out that the system would allow workers to accurately monitor the rate of hygiene and cleanliness of the Holy Land around the clock. This is made possible because every trash bin is completed with a censor equipment, which will send data to the head office and smart phones, he said. "And even, if people find pile of garbage failed to be handled properly, they can take pictures on it and send them to the garbage processing center whose workers will soon get rush to the locations to handle the garbage," he added. In addition, Ibrahim said the Mecca City Government also has a program that educates people, including students on ways to keep the holy city clean and beautiful.