Sparklo, a cleantech company building the Middle East’s most accessible smart recycling ecosystem, and Mai Dubai, the leading bottled water company in the UAE, have signed a strategic agreement to promote recycling and support sustainable consumer behaviour.
The agreement outlines a joint initiative to install 30 AI-powered Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) – also known as Sparklomats – in high-traffic locations across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain, and Ras Al Khaimah. The Sparklomats will be located in schools, retail areas, and even residential communities — enabling people to return plastic bottles right where they live. For every container recycled, users will receive Sparklo points, which can be redeemed for rewards, including discounts on Mai Dubai delivery starting in May. This initiative makes recycling more rewarding while creating a closed-loop system for Mai Dubai products.
The signing ceremony, held at Mai Dubai headquarters on April 21, was attended by Maxim Kaplevich, CEO of Sparklo, and Abraham Kah, CEO of Mai Dubai LLC. During the event, Sparklo presented the first-ever Mai Dubai-branded Sparklomat, marking the symbolic start of the rollout and celebrating the commitment of Mai Dubai’s leadership and employees to circular economy principles.
“This partnership fully reflects Sparklo’s mission: to bring every bottle back into the economy by making recycling easy, accessible, and rewarding,” said Maxim Kaplevich, Founder and CEO of Sparklo. “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. We’re glad that Mai Dubai shares our vision of building the infrastructure that motivates people to return their bottles. Together, we’re creating a true closed-loop system that ensures materials don’t become waste, but a resource for the future.”
“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. This partnership with Sparklo allows us to extend that commitment to consumers, empowering them to close the loop by returning their empty bottles. Together, we’re not just hydrating the nation — we’re shaping a sustainable future for the UAE,”said Abraham Kah, CEO of Mai Dubai.
This initiative supports the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 and Circular Economy Policy strategies, combining innovation, business collaboration, and real-world impact. To date, Sparklo has collected over 90 million plastic and aluminium containers across the MENA region — more than 81 million in the UAE alone.
