Market Trends of GCC Waste Management Industry
Increasing E-waste Generation in Gulf Cooperation Council Region
- E-waste needs to be effectively treated in GCC as there is minimal or zero legislation on e-waste, with slight differences within the counties. Kuwait, being one of the biggest per capita producers of e-waste, uses the same landfills for both conventional and e-waste. Bahrain operates only one landfill for the entire country.
- Yet, several recycling initiatives are in place aimed at separating plastics, metals, and paper. However, there has yet to be a comprehensive law on e-waste management in the GCC region. Saudi Arabia contains the biggest total amount of e-waste among the GCC countries. Private companies, initiatives, and non-profit organizations are currently working on e-waste recycling, but a properly regulated system needs to be in place.
- Oman, on the other hand, does not have regulations or facilities to deal with e-waste, but the country has recently stated the realization of a need for it. Qatar has also recognized the need to address the waste management issue, but concrete actions have yet to be taken recently. In recent days, the most advanced momentum regarding e-waste of all GCC countries can be found in the UAE. In some waste management centers, there are facilities where e-waste is classified and sorted out specifically. The UAE government is presently developing regulations and facilities for sound e-waste recycling. Meshary Al-Qweizani, director general of Sector Development for the National Center for Waste Management (MWAN), on February 2023, said that 82% of all types of waste dumps would be excluded in Saudi Arabia by 2035.
- As seen in many GCC countries, the need for e-waste legislation is widely recognized. E-waste management provides an opportunity and a huge potential in the entire Middle East, primarily due to a few reasons. First, e-waste management is a source of employment for both highly skilled and unskilled workers. This could help to transfer employment from the public to the private sector, which is a goal of many Gulf countries. Second, e-waste recycling can also minimize costs, as less landfill space is being used. In Bahrain, the only existing landfill is expected to reach its capacity in the next years and poses furthermore health risks for the population as it is close to urban areas.
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Qatar to Attain the Fastest Market Growth
- The surging quantity of liquid waste and illegitimate discarding of hazardous waste in water bodies impacted aquatic life. It augmented the eutrophication of water bodies, resulting in water-body poisoning and making it undrinkable. Hence, the need for waste management services over the study period is expected to increase in the Gulf Cooperation Council regions.
- The GCC waste management market is growing exponentially across the region. However, Qatar is more likely to attain the fastest market growth in the forecast period. The country is actively focusing on waste management to protect the environment with the help of government policies, funding, and regulations to reduce the production of waste coming from numerous commercial sites, industries, and households.
- Moreover, Qatar is looking forward to new ways to reduce and recycle this waste by paying attention to waste management and treatment. Besides the general domestic waste generated in the country, one of the significant waste-generating industries in Qatar is the construction industry. Therefore, government & domestic municipalities are taking steps for the current waste generation rate to combat the massive waste production in Qatar.
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