RECYCLING-

Egypt’s waste collectors are getting a new blockchain secured app: Switzerland-based sustainable packaging tech provider SIG has teamed up with global social enterprise Plastic Bank and Germany’s GIZ to launch a 3-year initiative aimed at increasing income security for waste collectors through the launch of a blockchain-secured waste collection app, according to a statement. The initiative sets out to collect 700 metric tons of beverage cartons, while improving the livelihood for around 1k local waste collection stakeholders by introducing them to the app, as well as providing training and personal safety equipment to improve work conditions.

How it works: “Waste collection members will be able to log each collected product via the app to earn incentives deposited directly into their digital wallets and gain access to social benefits, including health, work and life insurance, digital connectivity, grocery vouchers, school supplies,” the statement explains. The PlasticBank app provides traceability and transparency to help waste collectors convert any discarded material into a source of revenue, the statement adds.

EVTOLS-

Falcon + Archer partner on UAE eVTOL vertiport network: UAE aviation service operator Falcon Aviation is partnering with US-based, Mubadala-Capital backed aircraft maker Archer Aviation to develop a vertiport network in key locations across Dubai and Abu Dhabi, according to a statement. Under this partnership, the two firms aim to jointly develop a network which, using Archer’s Midnight flying car, will allow for flights between the two cities as early as 2025. The pair will develop state-of-the-art vertiport infrastructure at Atlantis' Falcon Heliport, Dubai’s Palm, and the Abu Dhabi corniche’s Marina Mall heliport. Falcon Aviation inked an MoU last year to operate Archer’s Midnight flying cars, according to the statement.

Part of Archer and Falcon’s air taxi network? The Abu Dhabi Investment Office signed an agreement with Archer last October to explore the possibility of establishing an air taxi network in the Emirates by 2026. The company, alongside Falcon Aviation and Gal-Ammroc, will collaborate with Abu Dhabi to launch their eVTOL-based air taxi services in the country, and Archer said it would partner with Emirati aircraft makers and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) providers in Abu Dhabi to spearhead the domestic production of eVTOLs in the country under Abu Dhabi’s Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industry (SAVI) cluster.

OTHER STORIES WORTH KNOWING ABOUT THIS MORNING-

  • Qatar to have 100% electric bus fleet by 2030: The Qatari Ministry of Transport’s entire fleet of public buses will be electric by the end of the decade. Electric buses currently comprise 70% of the fleet. (The Peninsula Qatar)
  • Barakah gets a green loan classification: Barakah One’s AED 8.89 bn refinancing for its 5.6 GW nuclear energy plant has been recognized as a green loan in a nod to the plant’s contribution to the UAE’s green economy. The classification is the first in Asia and Africa for a nuclear plant, and second globally. (Statement)
  • Egypt signs USD 3 mn agreement with UN for its Green Hurghada project: Egypt’sEnvironmental Affairs Agency has signed an agreement with the United Nations Industrial Development Program (UNIDO) to invest more than USD 3 mn — funded by the UN’s Global Environment Facility — to develop green policy frameworks for Hurghada, while also establishing financial support mechanisms for green recovery and climate tech investments, and ensuring sustainability of green infrastructure, biodiversity initiatives, and monitoring and evaluation reports in the coastal city. (Statement)
  • UAE’s Dnata receives certification to handle lithium batteries: Dnata, an Emirati-based global air and travel services provider, has become the first ground services provider to receive accreditation from the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) for safely handling and transporting lithium batteries. Stations in Australia and Pakistan were the first to complete the assessment, with the UAE, Singapore, Belgium, and the UK following. (Statement)
  • Oman’s Madayn to plant 10 mn trees: Oman’s Public Establishment forIndustrial Estates (Madayn) has launched the Green Industrial Cities initiative to plant 10 mn trees throughout Madayn's industrial cities. Planting has already begun in Samail Industrial City. (Oman News Agency)
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