Packaging firm SIG has teamed up with social enterprise Plastic Bank and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), on a project that it is hoped will 'reshape' Egypt's recycling landscape, while also increasing security for waste collection members.
Currently, Egypt generates more than 95 million tonnes of waste on an annual basis, of which just 60% is collected, with less than 20%of that properly disposed of or recycled.
The country currently lacks a formalised system for waste collection and recycling, and this three-way partnership aims to address this issue. Over a three-year period, the three partners are aiming to collect 700 metric tonnes of beverage cartons, while also aiming to improve the livelihoods of local waste collection members.
Circular Economy
“Our new partnership goes one step further in accelerating our progress towards a circular economy," commented Abdelghany Eladib, president and general manager, India, Middle East and Africa at SIG.
"Extending social waste collection and recycling programs like this one in Egypt will help to achieve our goals and is a blueprint for future programs. By establishing a recycling system for beverage cartons in the Greater Cairo area and beyond, SIG is focused on reducing the environmental impact und creating a market for recycled paper.”
Traceability and Transparency
The programme will use the PlasticBank app, backed by a blockchain-secured platform to provide traceability and transparency in waste collection, which 'empowers waste collectors to convert every piece of discarded material into a source of revenue', according to SIG.
The company is confident that by streamlining and tracking the collection and recycling of waste, it will be able to lay the groundwork for an extended producer responsibility (EPR) model in Egypt.
The project also aligns with the Egypt Waste Management Regulatory Authority's efforts to weave recycling into the country's legislative framework.
It is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) funding programme develoPPP, and its Decent Work for a Just Transition initiative.
