Bahrain’s registered places of worship will begin receiving dedicated recycling bins this week as part of a nationwide cleanliness drive.
The initiative, being rolled out as a pilot project ahead of Ashoora, aims to introduce waste segregation at licensed mosques, ma’atams and religious gathering sites, with plans to make recycling a year-round practice.
The scheme, part of Ashoora Elevate 17 campaign, will bring together the Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture Ministry, Estidamah Waste Management Centre, Bahrain’s two cleaning companies, the country’s three municipal councils and the Capital Trustees Board.
Speaking ahead of the official launch of the campaign, Estidamah Waste Management Centre household waste regulation operations head Abdulhamid Al Saie said places of worship would be equipped with three colour-coded recycling bins, depending on their individual requirements.
“Plastic collection will be mandatory while the other two bins will be allocated based on need for materials such as glass, paper or metal,” said Mr Al Saie.
He stressed that success would depend heavily on organisers adhering to strict collection mechanisms and schedules.
“We want this to become the standard practice at worship places across Bahrain as part of a wider effort to separate domestic waste and strengthen environmental responsibility within communities,” he added.
“Gradually, we hope to launch the practice for homes and residential buildings in future.”
Meanwhile, preparations are intensifying across the country ahead of the launch of the campaign, with municipal authorities stepping up co-ordination efforts with organisers.
In the Northern Governorate, Northern Municipality director-general Mohammed Al Sehli and Northern Municipal Council chairman Dr Sayed Shubbar Al Wedaie held a co-ordination meeting with heads of ma’atams in the area to ensure smooth implementation of the campaign.
Discussions focused on maintaining cleanliness around worship centres, organising surrounding spaces, efficient waste collection and preserving the public appearance of neighbourhoods during the commemorations.
Mr Al Sehli said the municipality was fully committed to supporting residents and organisers throughout the period.
“The Northern Municipality is mobilising all available resources to serve residents and participants, helping ensure the success of the campaign while maintaining a high standard of municipal services,” he said.
Dr Al Wadaei praised the close co-operation already in place between municipal authorities and worship places’ organisers.
“We are keen to continue strengthening this partnership and improving joint working mechanisms in ways that positively reflect on organisation standards and services provided during Ashoora,” he said.
Officials say the initiative marks a major step in aligning Bahrain’s religious events with sustainability goals, transforming one of the kingdom’s largest annual gatherings – Ashoora – into a model for community-driven environmental awareness.
Ashoora’s events are set to start tonight across Bahrain and continue for two weeks.
The first day of the Islamic calendar officially begins tomorrow.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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