Solid Waste Volume Could Increase to 396 Million Tons by 2025 in Mediterranean (Report)

Rabat, 14/12/2016 (MAP) – The volume of solid waste, which amounted to 174 million tons in 2000, could reach 396 million tons by 2025 in the Mediterranean region, according to a report published recently by the Royal Institute of Strategic Studies (IRES).

In the southern and eastern part of the Mediterranean, municipal waste comprises twice as much organic waste and half as much paperboard waste as in Europe, according to the 2017 strategic report entitled “Panorama of Morocco in the world: global challenges of the biosphere.”

The document noted, in this context, a rapid growth of plastic waste, due to the evolution of the packaging methods of foodstuffs, used in the supermarkets.

The pollution generated by this type of waste is a major concern of the Mediterranean countries, the document noted.

According to UN projections, the population of the Mediterranean shore countries would increase from 515 million in 2015 to 650 million in 2050. The rate of urbanization would be 78.2% in 2050 compared with almost 69% today, the report said, stressing the importance of catching up the gap in terms of improving the living standards of the population and creating jobs for the youth, especially in the southern shore.