Egypt encourages eco-friendly industries

The Egyptian government is encouraging eco-friendly industries and practices in an attempt to reduce the high levels of pollution in Egypt and in Cairo in particular.

The government is mulling a fiscal year 2014/2015 budget that does not fund environmentally harmful projects, said Majed Boulos, an environmental pollution inspector at the Ministry of Environment.

Putting this into effect will be the responsibility of more than one ministry, he said, foremost among them is the ministry of Industry in collaboration with the ministries of Planning, Environment, Health and Population, Tourism, Manpower and Immigration, and Trade.

"Both the ministries of Environment and Industry have now stipulated that large factories, especially those producing cement, use modern filters, in order to minimise risks associated with emissions, in addition to working towards increasing green spaces in cities," he said.

The government also is seeking modern alternatives to organic and solid waste disposal through composting and the expansion of recycling plants, he said.