Egypt Accelerates Waste Reforms and Targets 60 Percent Recycling by 2027

Egypt has announced plans to elevate its municipal solid waste (MSW) recycling rate to 60 percent by 2027, a significant rise from 10 percent in 2018 to 37 percent in 2024, the former Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad reported on 18 June. Building on this ambitious target, the initiative is part of Egypt’s broader circular economy agenda, focused on securing feedstock for organic fertilizers and clean energy solutions. Central to this transformation lies Egypt’s Waste Management Law (No. 202/2020), which has played a pivotal role in attracting private‑sector investment. At the system’s outset in 2018, only two private contracts were in place in the recycling sector; today, that number has soared to 36, covering waste collection, transportation, treatment, and recycling, many deployed simultaneously across multiple governorates. The growing involvement of the private sector has paved the way for a wave of innovative projects. Among them, waste-to-energy initiatives are showcasing technological advances currently underway, such as the conversion of landfill gas into energy at the Al-Salam and Hammam landfills, with estimated investments of USD 40 million (EGP 1.95 billion). Alongside the landfill gas projects, wastewater treatment and waste recycling plants further illustrate Egypt’s multi-pronged.