Veolia Near and Middle East, the benchmark company for ecological transformation, held a number of activities to engage local communities and bring attention to important environmental issues, and how individuals can contribute to sustainability efforts.

Along with RECAPP – the UAE’s first free-of-charge door-to-door recycling service – Veolia Near and Middle East hosted a movie night in June at Cinema Akil in Al Serkal Avenue, Dubai.

Open for free to the public, the event consisted of a screening of the documentary film ‘Bigger Than Us,’ and a talk and Q&A session with expert speaker Jérôme Viricel, General Manager of RECAPP.

Veolia also held its first-ever photo contest on ecological transformation in June.

The competition challenged the local community to capture ecological transformation as seen through their eyes, highlighting the strides that the Middle & Near East has made toward reducing its environmental impact through efforts and investments in innovative and sustainable practices.

Veolia named three winners who were each awarded with vouchers, 1,000 AED for the first prize, 600 AED for the second prize and 400 AED for the third prize. Additionally, Veolia released photos of the winners on its social media accounts.

Commenting on Veolia’s community-building initiatives, Pascal Grante, Chief Executive Officer, Veolia Near and Middle East, said: “Getting close to local communities is a core pillar of our work at Veolia.

"By building awareness and driving the conversation on environmental protection, we empower individuals with the knowledge that they are able to make a difference through the choices they make, supported by environmental services companies such as Veolia and RECAPP.”

Jérôme Viricel, General Manager of RECAPP at Veolia Near and Middle East, said: “We launched RECAPP as a community-centric app to support residents as they strive to lead more sustainable lives.

"The documentary screening at Cinema Akil is the latest in our community-building activities, bringing together sustainability-minded folks to strengthen bonds and reflect together on how every individual can do their bit for the environment.”

Active in the Middle East for more than forty years, Veolia is a leading integrated player of the environmental services sector in the region.

Veolia Near and Middle East launched RECAPP in November 2020 to empower UAE residents in their recycling process, and today, RECAPP has built a community of 27,000 registered users and collected 300 tonnes of recyclables.