‘Green hajj’ slowly takes root in Mecca

AFP: Thousands of cleaners are busy separating plastic from other rubbish as more than two million Muslims wrap up a pilgrimage to Mecca that presents a huge environmental challenge for Saudi Arabia. The Mamuniya camp in Mina near the holy city is dotted with colour-coded barrels black for organic waste and blue for cans and plastics for recycling. It’s all part of an initiative to reduce the environmental footprint of the hajj, one of the world’s largest annual gatherings. More than 42,000 tonnes of waste are produced during the pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest sites, according of Mohammed al-Saati, head of sanitation for the Mecca municipality.
“We’re facing some real challenges, primarily the sheer volume of waste produced along with the number of pilgrims, the limited space around the holy sites, different nationalities and the weather,” Saati told AFP. “Islam as a religion does not encourage excess,” he added.”Pilgrims can be friends of the environment. It starts by raising awareness back home.”