Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) has unveiled its flagship recycling initiative, Tadweer, aimed at encouraging the public to donate their used laptops, which will be recycled, refurbished and donated to educational, social and charitable institutions, while also contributing to the charity initiatives in line with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Foundation.

Organised in partnership with Dubai Municipality and TNT Express UAE, Tadweer was launched at a ceremony held in Dubai attended by Saeed Abdullah Khoory, ENOC's Chief Executive Officer; His Excellency Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director General of Dubai Municipality; Saif Al Falasi, Executive Director of Environment, Health, Safety and Quality (EHSQ) and Corporate Affairs of ENOC; Mark Pell, Country General Manager of TNT Express UAE and other dignitaries from the government and private sector. 

Khoory said: "With Tadweer, we are reaching out to the public to contribute to a worthy cause that brings two distinct advantages. It not only helps in empowering the technical and IT education and development of economically underprivileged students, the charity initiative also plays a key role in conserving our environment through the proper disposal of computers. Tadweer underlines ENOC's commitment to the green vision of Dubai and our corporate social responsibility to make a difference to the community at large."

H.E. Eng. Hussain Nasser Lootah said: "Such projects will provide many opportunities for the members of society to engage and participate with the Dubai Municipality Center for Rehabilitation of Computers, and with Dubai Municipality, by donating laptops, and to join the charity works the Municipality organizes."

He also confirmed that the Municipality always welcomes similar initiatives which aim at achieving the goals that the project seeks, through fulfilling the social objectives of the Computers Rehabilitation Center and supporting charity projects, and human and social causes related to all the categories of the society.

"The Center is receiving a widely positive feedback from a huge number of organizations and donors, realizing the pivotal role the Center plays, in supporting the society inside theUAE and beyond," he said. He also pointed out that since its inception, the Center received 100,000 devices; 23,500 of which are computers and 2,900 are laptops. The Center donated 50,000 devices; 13,750 of which are computers and 550 are laptops.

Dubai Municipality is the recycling partner of the initiative, whereby all the laptops sourced through collection boxes located at 11 ENOC/EPPCO stations in Dubai will be formatted, fixed and refurbished at its PC Refurbishment Centre for distribution to charity organisations or welfare institutes. Members of the public can contribute second-hand, damaged or discarded laptops. 

The campaign will run for 8 to 12 months with more collection points to be opened at ENOC/EPPCO stations in due course. TNT Express UAE is the official logistics partner and will be responsible of collecting the donated laptops and delivering it to the Dubai Municipality PC Refurbishment Centre, which works with qualified specialists and other institutions involved in the programme.

Pell commented: "We are very pleased to support the Tadweer project with our transportation network and logistics expertise to deliver the laptops. Offering refurbished laptops to be used in schools, social and charitable organisations will provide all school children with access to a computer. TNT Express is fully committed to its customers through the provision of highly dependable transport delivery services, and the company demonstrates its commitment to the community service in every way possible, and we consider ourselves an active part of the society."

The operational aspect of the campaign is simple: People who wish to donate their used laptop can visit any of the 11 participating ENOC/EPPCO retail station and collect branded sleeves to place the laptop. The laptops will be collected from the collection points every week by TNT. The refurbished laptops will be distributed as per the specifications of Dubai Municipality to welfare schools, educational institutes or NGOs. 

Tadweer will take a key role in the recycling activities of ENOC, which is already involved in paper and water recycling in addition to recycling of computer servers and general office equipment. ENOC has also installed recycling bins for glass, cans and bottles across its service stations. 

ENOC's eco-friendly initiatives include the launch of the first 'green service station' in the Middle East at The Greens neighbourhood in Emirates Hills, Dubai. The innovative practices at the station include advanced technological devices to contain petrol fumes released at the pump, and a variety of other state-of-the-art systems, including solar-powered lighting, a 'waterless' car-washing system, new waste segregation systems, and design upgrades to reduce noise pollution.

Emirates Gas (EMGAS), a subsidiary of ENOC, has been working closely with the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai to introduce Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in public transport to enhance environment protection. Government vehicles will first switch to CNG followed by private cars in the emirate to reduce carbon emissions and cut fuel costs. Dubai Municipality is one of the first Dubai Government organisations to begin the conversion of their fleet of vehicles to CNG. 

From supporting disadvantaged families and special needs people to promoting global charity initiatives, ENOC has been at the forefront of several CSR campaigns. Among its various initiatives that make a valuable difference to the society include the annual ENOC Challenge and Masiraty programmes aimed at enhancing the professional and social skills of the participants. 

This year, ENOC raised funds for Beit Al Khair Society, The Red Crescent Authority, and Dar Al Ber Society during the Holy Month of Ramadan, while Emirates Gas joined hands with Dar Al Ber Society to provide 300 disadvantaged families in the UAE with free LPG refill. 

ENOC has also been a key partner of the 'Care by Giving' campaign aimed at increasing awareness about autism and raising funds for the Dubai Autism Centre.