Today's Edition
MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)
Abu Dhabi's expanding waste collection network is being powered by artificial intelligence and real-time data systems to deliver ambitious landfill diversion targets.
Tajmee'e, the waste collection subsidiary of Tadweer Group, recently expanded its operations across northern and north-eastern Abu Dhabi.
In a recent interview with Aletihad, Ashly Alex, chief executive of Tajmee'e, said the company is building a "next-generation" waste collection infrastructure designed to scale alongside the emirate's urban growth.
Its system relies on live operational data gathered through RFID-tagged bins, connected collection vehicles, and an AI-powered command centre that dynamically adjusts routes based on actual waste volumes.
"We respond to what is actually happening across the network rather than running predetermined routes," Alex said.
During each collection, the company monitors the quantity of waste collected from each point through to the total waste collected across the entire route.
"All data captured transmits live to our central command centre, driving routing decisions in real time and enabling us to build heatmaps across multiple dimensions of waste generation and accumulation," Alex explained.
The model is intended to improve efficiency across a municipal waste fleet that is expected to exceed 350 heavy-duty vehicles once full mobilisation is completed later this year.
According to Alex, collection crews receive live route and load information through in-cab systems linked to Tadweer 360, the group's integrated waste management platform. Supervisors can then alter routes in real time depending on demand patterns and waste accumulation levels.
Alex said the approach is already reducing unnecessary mileage, idling time and repeat trips, helping lower fuel consumption and emissions.
The expansion has brought Tajmee'e's coverage to 29 districts, including major residential and commercial growth areas such as Khalifa City, Yas Island and Shakhbout City.
All collected waste feeds into Tadweer Group's broader circular economy infrastructure, which includes waste recovery and waste-to-energy systems.
Abu Dhabi is targeting the diversion of 80% of waste away from landfill by 2031, a goal that officials say will depend heavily on improving efficiency at the collection stage.
"The performance of Abu Dhabi's circular economy system is determined long before waste reaches a processing facility," Etienne Petit, chief executive of Tadweer Group, said in last week's expansion announcement.
Tailored to Local Needs, Built to Scale
Tajmee'e said its next phase will involve designing more targeted segregation and recycling systems tailored to each area's waste profile, the type of recyclables generated, and the diversion targets set for that community.
"Our focus begins with building a strong pre-collection system to ensure waste is properly deposited into bins across all service areas," Alex noted. "Once this foundation is in place, we will conduct a comprehensive waste composition analysis to identify priority waste streams and design a segregation system tailored to real conditions on the ground."
The company also signalled that the operational model could eventually be replicated beyond Abu Dhabi once emirate-wide coverage is completed.
"Scaling was always part of the design," Alex said, noting the company's integrated waste platform, AI routing logic and real-time command centre are "systems, not assets tied to a location".
"That combination of technology and operational standards is what makes it transferable to any market that is serious about modernising its waste infrastructure," he added.
