Egypt approves Waste Management Authority budget, proposes stricter licensing rules

2026-03-28 - 18:30

Egypt’s Ministry of Local Development and Environment said on Saturday that the board of the Waste Management Regulatory Authority approved its draft budget for the 2026/2027 fiscal year and reviewed proposals to strengthen oversight of waste management activities. The meeting, chaired by Minister of Local Development and Environment Manal Awad, discussed extending licence durations for non-hazardous waste activities and reclassifying them according to operational practices, aiming to curb informal operations and reduce environmental harm. To date, the authority has issued around 2,300 licences for integrated non-hazardous waste management activities, the ministry said. Proposed reforms include separating licences by waste type to enable more accurate data collection, monitoring, and enforcement. Under the new framework, licensing will cover the collection, transport, and treatment of municipal and industrial waste, as well as agricultural, construction and demolition, and marine-related waste, with tailored standards for each category. The board also reviewed plans to include sorting and compacting of packaging waste within the non-hazardous waste management system, with licences granted for one year upon meeting technical and legal requirements. Operations will be linked to an electronic system to track waste flows, enhancing transparency and regulatory compliance. Additionally, the board approved new rules for calculating licence renewal periods and set fees for environmental impact assessment services related to waste management activities, reinforcing the authority’s capacity to monitor and regulate the sector effectively.