Egypt: cement plants to use 15% of waste by 2030

The Ministry of Environment's submitted plan that seeks to encourage the increase in waste used as alternative fuel in cement plants to 15 per cent by 2030 has been approved by Egypt’s cabinet, according to the Minister of Environment, Khaled Fahmy.

Mr Fahmy told Daily News Egypt that the cabinet had agreed to the plan, adding that discussions are underway with heads of plants to discuss issues they face in using waste as fuel. "The real problems facing investors in the waste recycling business is the lack of commitment by cleaning companies to provide the required quantities of waste to be recycled and used as an alternative fuel,"he  said. "The ministry is currently trying to equip waste management vehicles with the latest technology to improve their collection performance."

Mr Fahmy added that Prime Minister, Sherif Ismail, has directed all sectors operating in the Egyptian market to begin conducting studies to understand the current amount of energy consumed in factories and ways to diversify their energy supply in terms of waste recycling.

The minister noted that the ministry’s plan encouraged the use of nearly 22Mt of solid waste and 30Mt of agricultural residues to produce the refuse-derived fuel (RDF), which is used in sectors such as cement and heavy industries.

He pointed out that Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy are currently preparing legislation needed to encourage investors to start businesses in the field of recycling waste to produce energy.