Waster Management

Each day, approximately 55,000 tons of waste is produced in Egypt. In Cairo alone, the population disposes 15,000 tons of trash every day.

As a result of the limited recycling opportunities and rising pollution level, especially in urban areas, Egypt is seeing the effects of environmental degradation.

Demand

When you walk around in urban and rural areas, the abundance of trash in the streets is striking. The main reason is the lack of opportunities for recycling and places for disposal of trash. The awareness about the negative effects of unhandled trash (spreading of bacteria and epidemics, water pollution, rats and snakes etc.) is very high, and people appreciate the positive health consequences of proper waste management. In urban areas the Zabaleens (trash collectors) are active, however, they are far from able to collect all the trash in the cities.

Therefore, there is a large demand for access to for instance garbage compost plants and the establishment of recycling systems/units.

In addition, capitalising on the high unemployment and the opportunity for activating people by collecting trash seems evident.

Business opportunity

• Establishing recycling systems
• Establish garbage compost plants
• Set up recycling systems where people collect trash for a fee

There is a large demand for waste management systems for local citizens. The Zabaleens in the urban area cannot manage the task alone, and the rural areas do not seem to have significant waste management systems in place.

However, everybody is well aware of the health consequences of not doing anything about the trash. But nobody seems to have neither the leverage nor the economic muscle to do anything about it.

Therefore, there is a large business and development potential in this area that will most likely receive significant local support.