Saudi Arabia Ventures into Sustainable Waste Management

The National Center for Waste Management (MWAN) aims to significantly reduce waste production, increase recycling rates, and divert 90% of its waste from landfills. Saudi Arabia is showcasing its strategies for the first time at the IFAT trade fair in Munich.

Munich, May 14, 2024. It is clear that Saudi Arabia's ambitious transformation and stated objectives for the waste management sector will offer investors lucrative opportunities and returns. By 2040, over 840 treatment and recovery facilities will be built to achieve the national objectives and targets for the waste sector. These will include Waste-to-Energy, recycling and recovery, composting in addition to Construction & Demolition recycling facilities and other key infrastructure.  This investment will help the kingdom achieve its recycling targets of 79% (up from the current 5%) and a landfill diversion target of 90% by 2040. The country is now unveiling its strategy and investment opportunities to the public at the IFAT trade fair, where more than 3,000 exhibitors are presenting from Monday, May 13, to Friday, May 17, in Munich.

Increasing urbanization and waste generation rates drive sector development

To unlock the market potential, the National Center for Waste Management (MWAN) was established as a Regulator and a Strategic Master Plan was devised. “One of the objectives is to address ever increasing waste generation volumes driven by urbanization and industrialization in and around major cities across the kingdom. The public perception of waste in Saudi Arabia is now shifting from being an economic and environmental burden to a resource that must be fully exploited,” says Sultan AlHarthi, Executive Director of Corporate Communications at the National Center for Waste Management (MWAN).

As part of its planning efforts, MWAN has divided the country into 25 regional clusters, where diligent and detailed planning led to the creation of a large portfolio of investment opportunities within each cluster and across various waste streams. "Strategic planning guided by a national strategic vision, allowed MWAN to tailor cluster solutions based on specific regional needs," explains Sultan AlHarthi.

Goal: 3 % reduction and per capita waste generation, and 79 % of waste recycled

By 2040, an average of 90% less waste should end up in landfills. To reach this target, a large portion of this waste will be recycled or recovered through conversion to energy using various advanced technologies. One of the key strategic targets set by MWAN is to reduce the overall waste generation per capita by 3 percent. Another key target is related to Greenhouse Gas Emissions aiming to reduce annual CO2 equivalent emissions by 177% from a current baseline of 47.8 Mtpa CO2e. Achieving these targets (among many others), Saudi Arabia aims to further enhance protection of its environment resources and the life quality of its residents.

Key Progress

Planning efforts have reached key milestones by completing the master plans of the five largest clusters in the kingdom, namely, Riyadh, Jeddah, and Mecca, Dammam, and Madina, collectively generating over 60% of the waste at a national level. 

In Riyadh, for instance, annual waste generation currently stands at 25.8 million tons, accounting for over a quarter of the nationwide volume of 107 million tons. “Current plans are in place to develop over 80 treatment/recovery facilities in the coming years. These will include Waste-to-Energy facilities (WTE), transfer stations, MRFs, RDF facilities, C&D recycling, composting and others. Many opportunities are already available for investors to take advantage of what the Saudi waste market has to offer," explains Sultan AlHarthi. The same scenario described will apply to the other four clusters. As such, Investors are presented with a significant number of opportunities to build infrastructure and implement innovative recycling technologies.