26/08/2025
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26/08/2025
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KUWAIT CITY, Aug 26: In a swift response to the directives of the Cabinet regarding cleanliness and the utilization of tyre landfills in its last meeting, the Kuwait Municipality introduced 12 amendments to its cleaning contracts.
These amendments include the use of smart surveillance cameras and drones to track cleaning operations in the desert areas, farms and chalets, as well as the transfer of garbage from the source to the landfills or recycling sites.
Acting Director General of the Municipality Manal Al-Asfour confirmed that the updates include electrical equipment, implementation of a color-coding system for each governorate, including equipment and containers, and amending the size of metal containers to five meters in order to narrow the gaps.
This is in response to the questions of Municipal Council member Alia Al-Farsi regarding cleaning work in cities, suburbs and residential areas. According to Al-Asfour, these amendments were made two years after the issuance of the Municipal Waste Management and Public Cleaning Regulations, with the aim of developing the cleaning system and keeping pace with modern environmental requirements.
She added the Municipality also introduced the 360-liter container for homes, instead of 240 liters, and a vehicle for collecting and transporting sorted waste. She said the Municipality has prepared tender documents for performance level agreements for public cleaning work, and 19 tenders have been approved by its Public Cleanliness Committee, in coordination with the Echo Environmental Consulting Company. She affirmed that the documents were reviewed by the Legal Department, as well as the Legal Advice and Legislation Department, before its submission to the Ministry of Finance for approval of the estimated cost in preparation for tendering.
She added that cleaning contracts are for a period of five years, renewable in accordance with the terms of the concluded contracts. She stated that cleaning companies are required to display garbage removal schedule -- from 6:00 pm to 12:00 midnight -- on awareness signboards installed on the sides of compactor trucks in both Arabic and English. She warned that failure to do so will result in fines as per the penalty clause in the contracts.
She revealed that the total workforce under the current cleaning contracts reached 4,648 who are assigned in the six governorates -- 478 workers in Hawally and Ahmadi, 1,825 in the Capital and Jahra, and 1,345 in Farwaniya and Mubarak Al-Kabeer.
Following are the amendments:
1. Provide 360-liter containers for homes, instead of the current 240 liters.
2. Update the technical specifications of vehicle engines to comply with standard specifications.
3. Replace 120-liter containers with carts designated for manual sweepers.
4. Provide a vehicle for collecting and transporting sorted waste.
5. Add a vehicle for washing containers.
6. Incorporate electric vehicles into contracts, particularly for Mubarakiya Market.
7. Implement a color-coding system for each governorate, including vehicles, containers and workers’ clothing.
8. Change the size of metal containers to five meters to address current gaps.
9. Install 360-degree smart cameras on major vehicles to withstand harsh weather conditions and vibrations.
10. Provide a drone to monitor cleaning work in the desert, farms and chalets.
11. Provide special containers for sorting and recycling waste.
12. Completely update the vehicle tracking system.
By Inaas Awadh
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times
