AASTMT Leads Training Initiatives to Support Egypt’s Sustainable Waste Management and SDG 6
Prime Minister Reviews Efforts to Develop the Integrated Solid Waste Management System Across Governorates
Madbouly Directs Acceleration of Plan to Convert Diesel Buses to Natural Gas
Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister of Egypt, held a meeting today to review progress on developing the integrated solid waste management system across governorates. The meeting was attended by Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment; Major General Hisham Amna, Minister of Local Development; and several senior officials from both ministries.
During the meeting, efforts to enhance the integrated solid waste management system between August 2022 and November 2023 were presented.
Key Achievements in Solid Waste Management (Aug 2022 – Nov 2023)
- A supplementary contract covering four phases was signed with the Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI), including:
- Removal of 2.1 million tons of historical waste accumulations.
- Construction of 18 new sanitary landfills.
- To date, 1.4 million tons have already been cleared, with 700,000 tons scheduled for removal this year.
- The Ministry of Environment, through consulting firms, is reviewing and approving engineering designs and supervising infrastructure implementation.
Examples of Waste Clearance Operations:
- The area leading to the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza.
- Tala dumpsite in Monufia Governorate—accompanied by the construction of an on-site recycling plant.
- Sandoob in Dakahlia Governorate.
- Al-Ibrahimiya in Sharqia Governorate—where a fixed transfer station has been established.
Intermediate Transfer Stations and Sanitary Landfills
Transfer Stations:
- 6 fixed transfer stations have been completed:
- 2 stations delivered: Port Said Street (Cairo) and Tala (Monufia).
- 4 stations with completed civil works: Al-Qareen and Mashtoul Al-Souq (Sharqia), Esna (Luxor), and Um Zaghou (Alexandria).
- Equipment procurement for these stations is currently underway.
Sanitary Landfills:
- 6 new landfills have been completed and handed over, bringing the total number of operational landfills to 23.
- Work is currently ongoing on 18 additional sanitary landfills during the 2023–2024 fiscal year.
Recycling and Processing Facilities
- 3 recycling plants have been completed and commissioned: El-Mahalla El-Kubra, Sohag, and Minya.
- Civil construction of the Quesna plant (Monufia) is complete; awaiting delivery of production lines and mobile equipment.
- 3 primary sorting stations have been delivered in South Sinai: Ras Sudr, Al-Tor, and Abu Redis.
- A sorting station in Nuweiba is nearing completion and will be handed over soon.
Abu Gereida Integrated Waste Complex (Damietta):
- In May 2023, the Ministry of Local Development—after coordination with the Ministry of Environment—assigned AOI to develop Egypt’s first integrated waste processing, recycling, and safe disposal complex in Abu Gereida, Damietta, on a 93-acre site.
- Construction has begun, including a 10-acre sanitary landfill, perimeter fencing, internal and external roads, and utility infrastructure.
Capacity Building and Landfill Operations
- 158 personnel from governorates have been trained at Saqqara Training Center to operate sanitary landfills, following Ministry of Environment-approved operational guidelines.
- Training was conducted under the joint supervision of the Ministry of Environment and the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport.
- 10 landfills across 5 governorates have undergone successful pilot operations by these trained teams using equipment provided by the Ministry of Environment in coordination with the Ministry of Local Development.
- Equipment has been delivered to 11 governorates for landfill operations.
- Plans are underway to operationalize 5 additional landfills across 3 governorates, alongside tenders for recycling plants in those areas.
Waste-to-Energy Projects
- The Cabinet issued a decision establishing a feed-in tariff for electricity generated from municipal solid waste.
- 92 companies applied to invest in waste-to-energy projects; 53 qualified (25 Egyptian, 28 foreign).
- Implementation has been approved in 8 governorates as a first phase (out of 16 planned).
- The first waste-to-energy contract was signed for a project in Abu Rawash, Giza.
Benefits of the Integrated Waste Management System:
- Collection and transport efficiency rose from 55% to 70%.
- Increased production of Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) for energy-intensive industries (e.g., cement).
- Annual production of ~2 million tons of organic compost for agricultural reclamation lands.
- Higher recovery rates of recyclables (cardboard, plastic, paper, aluminum).
- Closure of informal dumpsites and construction of engineered landfill cells, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) Strategy
- The government has banned RDF imports.
- Cement companies are now permitted to establish joint ventures to produce RDF and organic compost from waste.
- Cement producers are mandated to use at least 10% RDF of their total fuel mix.
- This strategy delivers environmental benefits (lower emissions), economic gains (reduced foreign currency expenditure on fuel imports), and social impact (job creation).
Conversion of Buses to Natural Gas
- In cooperation with the Ministry of Military Production, a plan is underway to convert 2,262 diesel buses in Cairo and Alexandria to run on natural gas.
- Each implementation phase targets 377 buses (327 in Cairo, 50 in Alexandria).
- Phase 1 has been completed, with 377 converted buses already delivered.
- Additionally, 110 electric buses have been procured and deployed during COP27 climate summit operations.
Conclusion
At the close of the meeting, Prime Minister Madbouly directed the swift completion of the bus conversion plan from diesel to natural gas, emphasizing its critical importance to Egypt’s broader strategy for transitioning to clean energy, reducing emissions, and promoting environmental sustainability.
