Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) said on September 12 that employees recycled 118,967 plastic bottles and aluminium cans during the first half of 2026 using smart machines installed in DEWA buildings. The machines connect with the DEWA Smart Office app, awarding points for each item recycled and offering employees a chance to win prizes in monthly draws. The announcement reports collection volume and the incentive mechanism; it does not describe the later use of the material or environmental savings per item.

From the initiative’s launch in October 2022 through the end of June 2026, employees had recycled more than 1.41 million bottles and cans, according to DEWA. The authority said this cumulative total diverted 19.83 tonnes of waste from landfill. The 19.83-tonne figure is not the amount collected during the first six months of 2026 alone; it covers the period from the programme’s start through June 2026. Similarly, 1.41 million items is the accumulated total since October 2022, not a half-year count.

The programme combines collection machines that make workplace sorting accessible with a digital points system. The design is intended to make recycling visible and reward participation. The release does not state how many machines operate in which buildings, provide separate counts for bottles and cans, or describe how collected material moves to recycling facilities. The reported results should therefore be understood as quantities of items and cumulative waste weight. They do not establish additional outcomes such as new products manufactured or greenhouse-gas emissions avoided.

DEWA said the initiative supports the Dubai Integrated Waste Management Strategy 2021-2041 and its own Circular Economy Strategy. The latter includes five principles: circular design and recyclable materials; optimised asset management; value retention and end-of-life treatment; renewable energy and energy and water efficiency; and circular partnerships. These principles describe the institution’s broader strategic direction. They are not, by themselves, measured impacts attributable to the employee recycling programme.

The authority presents employee recycling as one way to strengthen sustainability culture inside the organisation. It also reported a 2025 Culture Index score of 92.33%, an internal index measure that does not directly quantify the programme’s environmental effects. Separating time periods is essential when reading the figures: 118,967 items refers to the first half of 2026, while 1.41 million items and 19.83 tonnes are cumulative totals from October 2022 through the end of June 2026.