Major companies invest in reverse vending machine that could be game-changer for consumers: 'We are proud it's happening'

The concept of a "reverse vending machine" is gaining ground in multiple markets, and now, two companies are teaming up to make recycling easier across the United Arab Emirates.

Zawya by LSEG reported that cleantech company Sparklo has signed a strategic agreement with bottled water company Mai Dubai to bring 30 reverse vending machines to high-traffic locations in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain, and Ras Al Khaimah.

The AI-powered machines, also known as Sparklomats, will provide a clear access point for people in schools, retail areas, and residential areas to return their plastic bottles for recycling and earn Sparklo points they can swap for rewards, like Mai Dubai deliveries.

Sparklo has already collected more than 90 million plastic and aluminum containers across the Middle East and North Africa region, including 81-plus million in the UAE.

"It's our first collaboration with a bottled water brand that not only ensures bottles are recycled, but also rewards people for doing so — and we are proud it's happening in our home market, the UAE," Sparklo founder and CEO Maxim Kaplevich said. "Together, we're creating a true closed-loop system that ensures materials don't become waste, but a resource for the future."

While ditching single-use plastic bottles is a more ideal long-term solution to reducing dirty-fuel derived waste and pollution associated with end-of-life care and production, recycling is still better than sending a bottle to a landfill. On average, a UAE resident goes through 450 plastic water bottles per year, per the Government of Dubai Media Office.

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To move toward a more sustainable future, the UAE — which gets most of its potable water from desalination plants — has rolled out sustainability initiatives such as Dubai Can Refill For Life, which slashed consumption of single-use water bottles by 30 million over three years through dozens of strategically placed refill stations that provide free and safe drinking water.

The Sparklo x Mai Dubai collaboration further moves the needle toward the UAE's goal of adopting circular policies and drastically cutting pollution by 2050, including through investments in clean-energy technologies and other solutions that will boost job growth.

"At Mai Dubai, sustainability is at the heart of everything we do — from operating the region's only 100% solar-powered water facility to actively championing circular solutions beyond our walls," Mai Dubai CEO Abraham Kah said, per Zawya by LSEG. "Together, we're not just hydrating the nation — we're shaping a sustainable future for the UAE."

Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to recycle old clothes and electronics?

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