However, municipalities in the GCC are not equipped to handle this level of waste generation through the existing landfilling strategies. There may be a need to adopt alternate handling mechanisms to tackle the problem of rise waste.
âGCC will have to make a radical move towards integrated waste management with emphasis on waste-to-value methods such as recycling and waste-to-energy coming into the picture. This can already be seen in the form of the recent tenders for waste management in the GCC, as well as in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA),â said Abhay Bhargava, Frost & Sullivan’s Associate Director & Regional Head â Middle East â Energy & Environment Practice.
The market potential for waste can increase anywhere by 1.5-2 times in the coming five years. This will also disrupt the existing waste management industry, which has so far primarily focused on the aspects of collection and transportation. There is also a need for greater focus on optimizing the segregation process, both at source and at material recovery facilities to minimize waste diversion to landfills.
Further disruption would be in waste composition. Industrial hazardous, bio-medical waste, electrical and electronic waste are also being observed in the GCC in addition to municipal, construction and demolition waste.
Frost & Sullivan feels that this disruption will result in emergence of opportunities in the sector for firms that can deliver solutions around segregation, recycling, sustainable treatment, and waste-to-energy across services, technologies, and equipment.
Frost & Sullivan believes that municipalities in the GCC can accelerate optimization through benchmarking and assessment of successful models in other regions, and implementation of these learnings in the regional context.
