Morocco: protestors oppose Italian RDF imports

Shipments of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) bound for Moroccan cement plants have sparked protests among environmentalists in Casablanca, Morocco World News reports.

Around 2500t of RDF – mainly composed of tyres, plastic and rubber – arrived in Morroco at the end of last month, where it was to be used as fuel in plants in Casablanca and Settat.

The Moroccan environment ministry has issued a statement in which it denied claims that the material was toxic and pointed out that the shipment was not the first of its kind.

The Morocco Forum of Human Rights has begun circulating an online petition that warns of ‘adverse consequences’ of burning waste, both to human health and to the environment. To date, the petition has gathered over 18,000 signatures.