In Egypt, the governorates of Cairo, Sinai, Alexandria, and Qalyubiya will benefit from 31 waste treatment and recycling plants by 2024 in order to reduce air pollution that exacerbates global warming in this North African country.
Egypt wants to strengthen its waste management system. To this end, the authorities of this North African country have started the construction of 31 recycling plants which will be spread over four governorates, namely Cairo, Sinai, Alexandria, and Qalyubiya. These facilities, eight of which will be delivered in the first half of 2023, will help reduce waste pollution and develop the circular economy in Egypt’s major cities.
This project includes the development of a “solid waste management complex” in the 10 Ramadan industrial zone, located near the city of Cairo. The initiative aims to recycle the 14,000 tonnes of waste produced daily in and around the Egyptian capital. The towns of Benha, Khanka, Qaha, Shibin El Qanater, and Shubra El Kheima, all located in the Qalyubiya governorate, are not left out. Indeed, these Egyptian municipalities will also benefit from a controlled landfill to facilitate the collection and recycling of household waste and plastic bottles generated by their 5.7 million inhabitants.
The Egyptian government is also planning to build four waste sorting stations in the Sinai governorate where Sharm el-Sheikh, the host city for the 27th UN Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP27) in November 2022, is located. In addition to sanitation, this investment will help promote the wildlife and plant potential of this region, which is increasingly affected by water stress.
Reducing waste pollution
The project is jointly piloted by Yasmine Fouad, the Egyptian Minister of Environment, Ali Abu Sunna the CEO of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA), Mustafa Murad, the Head of the Central Department of Air Quality at the Egyptian Ministry of Environment and Mohamed Hassan the World Bank’s Project Manager in Egypt.
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A few months ago, the Egyptian government launched a tender for the construction of four solid waste treatment and recycling plants with a total capacity of 600 tons per day in the governorates of Gharbia, Dakahlia, and Kafr el-Sheikh. At a total cost of €87 million, financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Union (EU), these centers will ensure the quality of the water in the drain that flows into the Mediterranean Sea via the Nile Delta.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi
