The Government of Morocco (GoM) has identified the improvement of Waste Management as a national focus area. It is a major priority outlined in Morocco’s National Charter for Environment and Sustainable Development, and Morocco’s NDC proposes waste recovery as an area of intervention to reduce GHG emissions. The GoM has given priority to the management of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) due to its classification as hazardous waste and the related health and environmental impacts.

Volumes of WEEE are growing worldwide and Morocco generates over 30,000 tons a year of e-waste38. Morocco has one of the highest number of mobile subscribers and internet users within the region, accompanied by high volumes of electronic devices such as mobile phones and computers. The development of recovery channels for the valuable materials present in WEEE will help alleviate scarcity in energy and mineral resources in Morocco, which means that less hazardous waste will go to landfill. In addition to these environmental and health benefits, the development of a WEEE treatment industry is likely to provide opportunities to integrate rubbish pickers in the informal sector into the value chain in collection, recovery, and recycling.

The GoM has requested technical support from GGGI on the development of a WEEE Pilot Project. The design of this project is dedicated to the inclusive and sustainable management of WEEE to achieve a waste recycling rate of 20% by 2020 targeted in the NDC and other policy documents.