Leila Benali, the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, announced that Morocco has granted approximately 136 licenses for the import of recyclable and recoverable materials between 2021 and 2025. She clarified that “111 licenses are related to shredded rubber tires, while 25 concerns other materials such as plastics and textiles.”
During a meeting of the Committee on Infrastructure, Energy, Mines, Environment, and Sustainable Development held on Tuesday, which focused on topics including “the impact of importing waste from European countries on the environment and health in our country,” the minister emphasized that the government “does not consider them waste, but rather recyclable materials.” She highlighted that “they provide environmental and energy benefits; for instance, non-hazardous waste serves as an alternative energy source, especially in heavy industries.”
The minister noted “additional benefits,” stating that “converting tires and plastics into thermal energy reduces dependence on coal and oil,” as well as “reducing harmful emissions and improving air quality.” She also discussed the “industrial and economic opportunities,” such as providing “raw materials for manufacturing industries like plastics and textiles, supporting the circular economy, and easing pressure on natural resources,” not to mention “creating new job opportunities in sorting, recycling, and processing.”
Regarding the impact on the national economy, the minister referred to a study conducted in 2020, in collaboration with the Waste Valorization Alliance (COVAD), covering 13 sectors. She mentioned that the study revealed that waste valorization chains could generate around 60,000 job opportunities by 2030, in addition to “benefiting the metal industries with 9,500 job positions,” as well as “reducing the energy bill by more than $20 per ton of imported fuel.”
The Minister of Energy Transition did not overlook the risks and reservations, emphasizing the “need for strict oversight to ensure that waste is free from toxic materials that threaten human health or the environment,” stressing the importance of “transparency in import operations,” and the necessity of “complying with international and environmental standards to protect health and the environment.” She added: “The import of waste is conducted according to precise criteria that consider the country’s long-term interest, transforming the challenge into a real developmental and economic opportunity.”
During her presentation, Benali pointed out that “the import of non-hazardous waste is governed by Law No. 28.00 and its application texts,” which involves “submitting a file through a dedicated platform.” The documents are then reviewed before receiving “the opinion of the concerned ministries,” stressing the need to provide several documents, including: “notification documents or transport documents, as well as a financial guarantee, and a copy of the contract between the waste exporter and the importer, and between the importer and the operator of the non-hazardous waste valorization facility.”
The Minister indicated the necessity of “documents for the physical and chemical analyses of the waste or a technical form, and a specifications booklet,” as well as a “copy of the operating license for the waste production facility, and a copy of the license for the facility for valorization or disposal of waste,” in addition to a “signed and stamped affidavit.”
