$130m Loan to Boost Waste Collection, Recycling & Sanitary Landfill in Morocco

A $130 million project to support the Moroccan national goal of achieving a 20% recycling rate by 2022, and ensuring all remaining municipal solid waste is disposed in sanitary landfills, has been approved by the World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors. According to the World Bank, the project will focus on boosting solid waste services in urban areas, while improving conditions and incomes for traditional jobs associated with solid waste management, namely the ‘waste pickers,’ and developing new businesses and jobs based on recycling. The explained that with 60% of Morocco’s population living in cities, the country is faced with a pressing demand for more efficient and affordable solid waste management and for sustainably disposing of a growing waste production of around 5.5 million tonnes per year. The ambitious government program is said to have achieved significant results in improving the overall management of solid waste services and nurturing public confidence in its efficiency and reliability. The bank added that the Fourth Municipal Solid Waste Sector Development Policy Loan was designed to support the 15 year National Program for Solid Waste Management. “The reforms being supported under this loan will help significantly upgrade solid waste collection and management and reinforce the shift to a more professional, transparent and accountable management of these services,” commented Simon Gray, World Bank country director for the Maghreb. As part of the program, the bank estimated that 50,000 to 70,000 jobs will be created by 2022, through income-generating activities and small enterprises dedicated to waste recycling. The Upgraded municipal solid waste services implemented are so far are said to have benefited 15 million people. The waste collection ratio in urban areas has increased from 4% in 2007 to 80% today. In addition, the bank noted that more than 35% of the waste collected is being disposed in landfills in accordance with acceptable social and environmental practices. “Citizen engagement and access to information are also at the core of this program,” explained Jaafar Friaa, the World Bank task team leader for the project. “A ‘Citizen Report Card’ allows the public to monitor the delivery of services and report back with any complaints.” The reforms supported by the loan also include actions to strengthen environmental control and monitoring in Morocco. “The recent adoption of a decree establishing an Environmental Police is a tangible example of a reform that will help regulate the sector,” added Maria Sarraf, World Bank co-task team leader. The loan is a key component of the World Bank Group’s current Country Partnership Strategy with Morocco that covers the fiscal years 2014-17. The World Bank in Morocco The World Bank said that it currently has a portfolio of 21 projects in Morocco, amounting to a committed financing of $1.98 billion, providing a diverse range of support in areas such as private sector, financial sector and governance reform, employment, green growth and promotion of renewable energy, access to basic services such as rural roads, water, sanitation, the reduction of vulnerability and social exclusion, and improvements in agriculture. Since 2011, the World Bank’s private sector arm, the International Finance Corporation, has stepped up its engagement in Morocco and has invested $590 million to support private sector development in the country. Read More ISWA Blog: Russia & India – Waste Management Sector’s Biggest Opportunity ISWA President David Newman questions whether, from an environmental perspective, it would be better to invest in basic sanitary waste collection and landfills in the huge countries of the developing world, than in ever higher and more expensive to achieve recycling rates in Europe… Moroccan Landfill Rehabilitation & Recycling Facility Contract for SITA The Meknes municipal authority in Morocco has commissioned SITA Atlas to rehabilitate its household waste landfill site and to build and operate a waste elimination and recycling facility. Interest Sought for Major Waste to Energy & Recycling PPP Serbia’s capital city, Belgrade, has issued an Invitation for Expression of Interest in a proposed Public Private Partnership (PPP) to develop waste treatment, recycling and energy recovery facilities.