Solid waste managemnet for quweisna industrial zone

Abstract EN

Solid Waste Management is one of most important pillars for achieving sustainability, along with wastewater and energy management.

Solid waste management is a major issue not only at nation and government levels but also at any facility level.

One of the important facilities to consider is the industrial zones.

As most of the industrial zones in Egypt, Quweisna industrial zone is one of the important industrial zone as it contents important industries such as, engineering, ceramic, textiles, food, and chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

A detailed study about Quweisna industrial zone's waste generation, composition and characteristics, existing good and bad practices was conducted.

The objective of the study was to provide a baseline data related to solid waste in the zone to suggest 4Rs strategy for achieving a clean and green industrial zone.

Quweisna Industrial Zone generates every year 170.446 ton, almost 138.15 ton of the total wastes that reaches the final stage of disposal, and only 32.39 ton are recovered, which mean that nearly 81% of the total waste generated in industrial zone is sent-off for disposal to local municipality.

Trading of dry recyclables like plastic and glass bottles, metal cans and office paper happens at individual level by the facility owner in Cash-for-Trash event, or as a group by cleaning staffs collectively selling them, and also at the final stage when waste collection staffs partly sort recyclables at the transfer station before sending wastes to local municipal.

At the end, acceptable practices of waste management have been attempted (and some still in continuation) in Quweisna Industrial Zone, however, discontinuation and lack of participation from the zone administration is in concern.

The waste audit (composition, characteristics) results show a great scope for many waste recovery and recycling opportunities in Quweisna Industrial Zone, to transform into a Green industrial zone.