A Saudi research paper has predicted that around 106 million tons of waste will be produced by the Kingdom by 2035. A labor force of 77,000 workers and around 1,329 facilities and landfills are needed to manage the waste.
The findings of the study were reviewed by CEO of the Saudi Waste Management Center Dr. Abdullah Al Sebaei during a meeting organized by Asharqia Chamber on Monday.
Sebaei noted that the waste management sector in Saudi Arabia continues to offer attractive investment opportunities.
The greatest challenge facing it is found in the production and storage branches of the sector, he added.
More so, the study goes over the six main stages of developing the Kingdom’s waste management sector.
According to researchers, the current stage involves analysis on multiple levels, followed by drafting a regulatory system and attracting investors.
“There is a lack of control and supervision in the various stages of the value chain, a lack of general environmental awareness at the level of individuals and waste producers, and a lack in human qualifications and experiences in the workforce in the sector,” said Sebaei, stressing that the recycling sector is unorganized.
Furthermore, he remarked that the participation of the private sector remains limited.
Farah al-Gharib, a member of Asharqia Chamber’s environmental committee, told Asharq Al-Awsat that real awareness must be raised among investors around the material and developmental benefits of investing in the waste management sector.
Saudi Arabia has carried out a number of structural economic reforms and launched a group of emerging sectors that included waste management which aims at achieving integrated economic and environmental sustainability.
The waste management sector is being developed through increasing its efficiency, establishing comprehensive projects for recycling and reducing all types of pollution.
