Ambassador of France to Qatar H E Jean-Baptiste Faivre and officials of Elite Paper Recycling and Lycee Bonaparte during the signing ceremony.
Preserving the environment is an essential priority for France and Qatar, H E Jean-Baptiste Faivre, Ambassador of France to Qatar, said on the sidelines of an MoU signing between Elite Paper Recycling (EPR) and French school, Lycee Bonaparte.
Speaking to The Peninsula, Faivre said: “The environment is a priority for France, which was one of the most involved countries in the Paris Agreement; it is also important to the French embassy and the community.”
“We are part of a lot of initiatives in Qatar. We recently had a conference with the Ministry of Municipality about circular economy and waste management, which shows how we can work with Qatar on that very subject that is a priority for Qatar and us.
“In Paris we have a society that presented its technology that turns waste into energy used in Paris to cover the needs of hospitals and museums. A lot of electricity in hospitals in Paris is covered by this kind of technology,” he added.
On the significance of the MoU, Faivre said teaching kids in schools about protecting the environment would practically allow them to change their behaviour around basic day to day behaviours.
“It is with these gestures that we protect the environment. I welcome the signing between Elite Paper Recycling and Lycee Bonaparte. This is a concrete agreement which is not only related to waste management but also to get greater awareness for kids,” he stressed.
The MoU will promote environmental sustainability and recycling across Lycee Bonaparte’s activities under EPR’s green schools programme by reducing paper waste through recycling and holding informative campaigns to educate students on sustainable practices.
François Cuilhe, President Lycee Bonaparte said under the MoU, sorting bins will be deployed in the school, and carrying out activities to raise awareness of the need for selective sorting and recycling will be carried out in classrooms under the guidance of “eco-delegates.”
The total urban waste generation in the GCC has been estimated to be around 150 million tonnes per annum. Municipal solid waste (MSW) is the second-largest stream after construction wastes.
Catina Aghayan, communication adviser at EPR, said the company works closely with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and has partnered with 450 schools in Qatar to build a culture of sustainably in kids as part of their green schools initiative.
