Ricardo-AEA to develop waste strategy for Riyadh

The contract has been awarded by the ArRiyadh Development Authority, which will see Ricardo-AEA oversee the implementation of its waste management plans for the city.

Challenges faced by the firm will be helping to regenerate Riyadhs existing waste management infrastructure which is described as basic, while also reducing its reliance on landfill, with available landfill space expected to reach full capacity within seven years.

Illegal disposal of waste is also thought to be widespread throughout the city, with regulation and enforcement achieving limited success.

Ricardo-AEA says its strategy will seek to reduce or mitigate the risk of adverse impacts of waste generation within the city through waste prevention, reuse and recycling.

The development authority hopes that once implemented, Riyadh will become an exemplar for waste management within Saudi Arabia and across the wider Middle East.

Population

The city is home to one fifth of the countrys population- with forecasts predicting that the citys population could swell to 8.3 million by 2030. Riyadh already produces 8 million tonnes of waste per year from municipal, commercial, industrial and construction sources.

Ricardo AEAs resource efficiency and waste management practice director Dr Adam Read, said: We are delighted that Ricardo-AEA has been selected by ArRiyadh Development Authority for this high profile and ambitious project. Ricardo-AEA has an enviable track record in this sector and is recognised as a leading provider of high quality, authoritative, waste strategy work within the international arena.

We look forward to working closely with ArRiyadh Development Authority, its project stakeholders and industry, over the course of the project and rising to the waste management challenges the city of Riyadh faces. In doing so we aim to deliver the strategic support that will help to establish Riyadh firmly at the forefront of waste management best practice within the Middle East.

Ricardo-AEA is a key provider of advisory services to the UK Government and works extensively with the EU and other public sector organisations as well as major private sector clients. The company has offices in London, Glasgow, Cardiff, Warrington and Oxford.