Segregation at the Source

Garbage Segregation in El-Zawia/El-Hamra District, Cairo

February 2005 - June 2007

Funded by The International Center for Environment (ICED) through a grant from the Italian Development Cooperation Debt Swap Program

Objectives:

To implement a pilot project to test “Source Segregation” - the separation of waste into organic waste (food remains) and non-organic waste (bottles, can, etc.) - and to raise awareness about the importance of waste separation to improve environmental conditions. 

To facilitate the collection and recycling of waste from 9000 households and shops.

Significance: 

• Up to 50% of non organic waste is unnecessarily soiled of due to contamination by organic waste products 

• 15%-20% of mixed waste in public dumps causes air pollution and contamination of  underground water due to burying and leakage into water streams

• Instead of recycling and reusing materials, Egypt imports virgin materials, which is costly and unnecessary – local recycled materials can be made easily and cheaply with the help of the Zabaleen. 

• Time, effort, and energy are unnecessarily expended in the cleaning of recyclable materials from organic waste

• Mixed waste is a breeding ground for poisonous pollutants (e.g. lead, cadmium, zinc) – when the waste is mixed together, organic matter that is composted is mixed with heavy poisonous metals. These toxins can cause kidney and liver damage as well as various forms of cancer.

Target group:

Area: Al-Zawya and Al-Hamra neighborhood in Cairo

• Middle class citizens that are representative of Egypt’s population

• Neighborhoods typical of those in Cairo and that include several different categories of city services (ie. schools, shops, residential units)

Methods:

• Training a group of young people from Manshiyet Nasr to educate the target group in order to improve the disposal and recycling of mixed solid waste through separation. 

• Weekly field visits to the target areas and then regular follow-up to gauge and encourage compliance of garbage segregation. 

• Daily reports to track the successes and obstacles of the project and weekly meetings to discuss improvements.

Achievements:

• 9000 residents and shop owners educated in the concept of “Source Segregation”

• “Source Segregation” effectively implemented by 7500 residents, approximately 85% of total residents.