5 days ago
Egypt Targets 60% Recycling Rate by 2027 With Major Waste Reforms
Egypt Targets 60% Recycling Rate by 2027 With Major Waste Reforms
Egypt is accelerating its waste management reforms, setting an ambitious target to recycle 60 percent of its municipal solid waste by 2027. This marks a sharp rise from just 10 percent in 2018 to 37 percent in 2024, according to former Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad. The new target is part of a broader circular economy agenda, aiming to secure feedstock for organic fertilizers and clean energy solutions.
Central to this transformation is Egypt's Waste Management Law (No. 202/2020), which has attracted a surge of private sector investment. In 2018, only two private contracts existed in the recycling sector; today, there are 36, covering everything from collection and transportation to processing and recycling, with projects now operating across multiple governorates.
Private sector involvement has paved the way for innovative waste-to-energy projects, such as the conversion of landfill gas into energy at the Al-Salam and Hammam landfills, with investments estimated at USD 40 million (EGP 1.95 billion). The Abu Rawash wastewater treatment plant in Cairo, the country's second-largest, treats 1.6 million cubic meters of wastewater daily, focusing on sludge reuse for agriculture and industry.
A new joint venture, Zero Carbon Green Planet (ZCGP), launched by Emirati firm Zero Carbon Ventures and Egypt's Green Planet, is processing 400 tonnes of organic waste daily at Cairo's 15 May landfill, converting it into graphene, hydrogen, and fertilizer. The first phase is operational, with full completion expected by 2027. In Assiut, a new EGP 250 million waste recycling plant equipped with German-Dutch technology is set to be completed by 2026, featuring two high-capacity processing lines.
Despite these advances, much of Egypt's waste is still openly dumped or burned, with recycling largely handled by informal systems. Cairo's Hayy El-Zabbaleen community, based in Manshiyat Naser (Garbage City), has long played a vital role, recycling over 80 percent of the garbage it collects. However, government reforms and regulatory changes are shifting the sector toward more formal structures.
Egypt's evolving system now brings together government agencies, private firms, and NGOs, deploying new technologies and upgrading infrastructure to reduce pollution and align with global standards. The introduction of an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme is shifting the burden of post-consumer waste to producers, starting with plastic bags.
Collection efficiency has also improved, rising from 60 percent to approximately 74 percent, with rapid infrastructure expansion in governorates like Giza and Qalyubia.
