National Solid Waste Management Program for Egypt

The waste management sector in Egypt has been neglected during many years. About 20 m tons of municipal waste are yearly produced in the country and only 60% of this volume of waste is collected and 5 %, respectively 2.5%, is correctly disposed of in official landfills or recycled. Consequently, the great majority of municipal solid waste ends up in illegal landfills, degrading water and soil resources, as well as hygienic conditions. The World Bank estimated that insufficient waste management reduced the GDP growth of the country by 0.4 - 0.7%. Therefore, solid waste management has recently become a major policy priority in Egypt.

The overall objective of the Program is to make a significant contribution to sustainable protection of the climate and environment, to protect the natural resources and to reduce health risks for the population of Egypt. This shall be achieved mainly through i) better protection of soil and water resources- ii) less population exposure to waste emissions and iii) reduction of greenhouse gas emissions with less uncontrolled waste discharges and incineration.

An environmental and climate-friendly municipal solid waste management is established in project regions in selected Governorates according to national laws and regulations.

Relevant governmental and non-governmental actors at national, Governorate and local levels have the necessary capacities and institutional structures to establish and operate a demand-oriented and cost covering solid waste management system in a sustainable manner.

Principaux résultats attendus:  

Solid waste management is established and operational in four selected Governorates: Gharbeya and Kafr-El-Sheikh in the Delta region- Assiut and Qena in Upper Egypt (urban population about 3.5 m)

Institutional partners at national, Governorate and local levels are qualified for the operation, maintenance and further development of the solid waste management system.

The population in the project regions receives solid waste management services according to existing standards and regulations.

Policy and strategy for the establishment of a national solid waste management system are formulated, agreed upon with relevant stakeholders and institutionalized.

Procedures for the integration of relevant actors from civil society and private sector in the implementation, execution and further development of the solid waste management are established.

Phase 1 01.03.2014 - 31.12.2022   (Completed)