Overwhelmed by 2,700 tonnes of household and similar waste every day, Greater Tunis is preparing to reach a decisive milestone.
The Ministry of the Environment announced this Monday the finalization of the specifications and the launch of a call for applications for the creation of four waste recovery units covering the governorates of Tunis, Ben Arous, Ariana and Manouba.
Gathered around Minister Habib Obeid, the governors of the four regions validated the national vision of waste management based on recovery rather than landfilling.
The area concerned extends over 2,482 km², encompasses 38 municipalities and has nearly 2.9 million inhabitants, or a quarter of the Tunisian population.
Each resident produces on average 0.9 kg of waste per day, for a collection rate estimated at 85%.
But only a part – around 2,300 tonnes per day – still reaches the Jebel Chakir technical landfill center, which is now saturated.
The project provides for the installation of units equipped with mechanized sorting, recycling and organic recovery technologies (composting or methanization), in order to reduce the buried volume and produce energy or agricultural compost.
According to Habib Obeid, this initiative is part of a “social, economic and green” approach, structured around sustainability, the creation of local jobs and improving the quality of life.
The governors of Greater Tunis welcomed an “expected” approach, faced with overflowing landfills and municipalities often unable to ensure continued management.
But the success of the project will depend on the transparency of procedures, rigor in the selection of investors and monitoring on the ground.
This program is part of the National Strategy 2035-2050 for a Tunisian circular economy.
If carried out successfully, it could transform the way in which the country conceives of urban cleanliness: moving from a logic of crisis to a policy of sustainable development.
A major ecological and political challenge, at the height of a metropolis where the equation of waste has become that of governance itself.
AREA FEATURES
- Amount of DMA generated 2700T/d ; only 2300T are received daily in the technical landfill center of Jebel Shakir.
- Covers 4 governorates and 38 municipalities: Tunis, Ben Arous, Ariana and Manouba
- 2482 Km² (almost 1.15% of the country’s surface area)
- 2.9 million inhabitants (almost 25% of the country’s population)
- An average DMA generation rate of 0.9 kg/day/inhabitant.
- A collection efficiency rate of 85%
