The Souss-Massa region, located in northern Morocco, wants to recover its agricultural plastic waste through a major project launched by the Agrotechnologies Association of Souss-Massa, Agrotech-SM. It is this ambition that led to the signing, on March 18, 2020, of an agreement between the Ministry of Energy, Mines and the Environment and the Agrotech-SM Association. Agricultural plastic waste represents a real environmental problem in Morocco. The country produces 23,000 tons per year.
In Morocco, the production of plastic waste in the agricultural sector does not weaken. Studies conducted by the “Plastic 4 Life” environmental preservation project have revealed that this North African country produces 23,000 tons of agricultural plastic waste per year. This includes plastic films, pipes, nets and other plastic materials. To solve the problem of environmental pollution posed by this waste, it is therefore necessary to think about their future and give them a second life. In the north of the country, this reflection has already been carried out.
An agreement was thus signed on the 18th of March 2020 between the Association Agrotechnologies du Souss-Massa (Agrotech-SM) and the Ministry of Energy, Mines and the Environment. This three-year agreement provides for the launch of a project to recycle agricultural plastics in the Souss-Massa region. This project will be piloted by Agrotech-SM, and will focus on the organisation of the regional sector of sorting and recovery of agricultural plastic waste in the Souss-Massa as well as the integration of informal units in the structured sector. The project also provides for the preparation of a study on possible scenarios for the implementation of a platform for the recovery of agricultural plastic waste, as well as the contribution to the rehabilitation of structured units for the recovery of agricultural plastic waste with the acquisition of industrial machinery and equipment to strengthen the equipment of these units.
Agrotech-SM has already been working since 2014 on the problems posed by agricultural waste on the environment and human health. The signing of the agreement between this association and the Ministry of Energy, Mines and the Environment was preceded by several actions, among which are many workshops to raise awareness and train the actors of the region for the management and recovery of these wastes.
Created on March 29, 2006, Agrotech SMD is an association recognised as being of public utility. It carries out cutting-edge activities in the agro-technology sector in the Souss Massa region. It assists companies in the domain of research and development of food biotechnologies and gives advice on the establishment of units in the agri-food industry.
Boris Ngounou
