Page 146 - Sparklo PR Report - April 2025

Abu Dhabi is leading the charge with its plastic free initiative (all thanks to you) | Time Out Abu Dhabi
The Bottle Return Scheme alone has recovered more than 2,000 tonnes (or 80 truckloads) of bottles since
2023, thanks to the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD). And that’s just the beginning.

That’s over 130 million plastic bottles which have been collected through 150 reverse vending machines
(RVMs), smart bins, and door-to-door collections.

Reverse Vending Machines

Teaming up with cleantech powerhouse Sparklo, the EAD collected a whopping 23 million recyclables in 2024.
That includes over 544,000kg of plastic and 18,000kg of aluminium – all neatly sorted and saved from landfill
doom.

It’s a major win for the Abu Dhabi Single-Use Plastic Policy, which has been encouraging residents to rethink
their recycling habits and chuck their empties in the right places.

If you’ve spotted a slick-looking machine at ADNOC, Lulu, or Carrefour stores, chances are you’ve come face-to-
face with a Sparklomat. These clever collection points have made bottle and can returns a breeze, with one
superstar machine even handling more than 8,500 items in a single day.

All this effort has had a real impact. The scheme has helped prevent over 3.5 million kg of CO₂ emissions,
keeping the capital on track to meet its bold 22 percent carbon emissions reduction goal by 2027.

https://www.timeoutabudhabi.com/news/abu-dhabi-environment 2/4