Can Smarter Waste Management Help Egypt and Jordan Cut Emissions and Create Green Jobs?

Egypt and Jordan could sharply cut waste-sector emissions by expanding source separation, recycling, composting, biogas and modern treatment, with advanced strategies offering reductions of up to 19% and 67%, respectively. The transition could also create jobs, attract private investment and support renewable energy, but requires stronger regulation, better waste data, sustainable financing and integration of informal waste workers.

Egypt and Jordan could transform mounting waste pressures into a climate and development opportunity by moving organic waste away from dumpsites and landfills and toward recycling, composting, anaerobic digestion and mechanical-biological treatment. Research by the University of Rostock, Jordan University of Science & Technology and the Egypt Solid Waste Management Center of Excellence at Ain Shams University estimates that advanced waste-management strategies could reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by up to 19% in Jordan and 67% in Egypt compared with business-as-usual systems.

The findings matter for governments, development institutions and investors because waste management is increasingly connected to climate commitments, renewable energy, agriculture, municipal finances and employment. Jordan generates about 3.9 million tonnes of municipal solid waste annually, while Egypt produces roughly 28 million tonnes, or around 74,800 tonnes every day. Organic material represents approximately 60% of municipal waste in both countries, making methane from decomposing waste a major climate concern.

Organic Waste Is Emerging as a Major Climate and Development Challenge

The potential resource base extends beyond cities. Jordan generates around 10.9 million tonnes of animal waste annually, while Egypt produces approximately 44–45 million tonnes of agricultural waste, including 42.4 million tonnes of crop residues. Instead of being burned, dumped or poorly managed, part of this material could become feedstock for compost, biogas and other circular-economy activities.

The climate costs are already high. Jordan's waste sector has increased from around 7% to 12% of national greenhouse gas emissions, with domestic solid-waste disposal responsible for about 94% of waste-sector emissions. Egypt's waste sector represented approximately 10% of national emissions in 2022, producing about 37,255 Gg of CO2-equivalent.

For policymakers, the numbers suggest that waste policy should increasingly be integrated into national climate, energy, agriculture and urban-development strategies rather than treated purely as a municipal sanitation issue.

Jordan Needs to Move Beyond a Landfill-Centred Waste Strategy

Jordan already collects around 90% of municipal waste, meaning its biggest challenge is increasingly treatment and disposal. The Al-Ghabawi landfill alone receives approximately 4,300 tonnes per day, more than half of the country's collected municipal waste. Gas captured from closed landfill cells generates an average of 106 MWh of electricity per day.

However, the research finds that improving landfills alone delivers limited climate benefits. Increasing sanitary landfilling with gas recovery reduces net emissions by around 5.1%, while eliminating unmanaged disposal cuts them by about 8.9%. Introducing mechanical-biological treatment for 10% of residual waste increases the reduction to approximately 17.8%.

Jordan therefore needs greater source separation, composting and pre-treatment of organic waste before disposal. Economic reform is equally important. Municipal waste-management cost recovery barely reaches 50%, while landfilling costs municipalities only around US$3 per tonne. Such low charges can make recycling and biological treatment financially unattractive. More realistic disposal fees could encourage private investment while extending landfill life.

Ending Uncontrolled Dumping Could Deliver Egypt's Biggest Early Gains

Egypt has greater mitigation potential because uncontrolled dumping and collection gaps remain widespread. The country has nevertheless built an important foundation, including 48 operational mechanical-biological treatment lines reportedly treating 8.5 million tonnes annually and 21 sanitary landfills.

The informal sector is another major asset. Cairo's Zabaleen are estimated to collect 50–60% of the city's municipal waste, recovering large quantities of recyclable materials. Rather than replacing these workers, reforms should integrate them into formal systems through contracts, occupational protection and improved sorting facilities.

Under the modelling, Egypt's net emissions from residual waste treatment and disposal fall from approximately 12.48 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent annually under business as usual to 10.47 million tonnes in the first reform scenario and 7.91 million tonnes in the second. The most advanced scenario reduces emissions to approximately 5.56 million tonnes, a 55.4% decline from the baseline.

For development partners, this highlights opportunities to finance collection systems, landfill rehabilitation, sorting infrastructure, MBT facilities and institutional capacity before governments commit heavily to more expensive technologies.

Biogas and Recycling Could Create a New Circular-Economy Investment Market

Source separation could unlock even larger climate benefits. In Jordan, increasing source-separated organic waste treated through composting from 10% to 50% could push emission reductions to 42% under the most advanced sensitivity scenario. In Egypt, expanding anaerobic digestion of source-separated organic waste could increase reductions to as much as 75% under the most ambitious sensitivity scenario.

This creates opportunities for private companies in composting, anaerobic digestion, biogas, recycling, collection logistics, landfill-gas recovery, RDF and mechanical-biological treatment. Wholesale markets, hotels, restaurants and other large organic-waste generators could provide predictable feedstock.

Technology choices, however, carry financial risks. One assessment cited in the research estimated around US$205.1 million for a moving-grate incineration facility in Egypt. By comparison, MBT investments assessed in Alexandria were estimated at US$10.15 million for a composting-based system and US$12.51 million for biodrying/RDF, with estimated payback periods of 3.8 and 4.9 years.

The policy lesson is therefore not simply to build more infrastructure. Egypt and Jordan need better waste data, stronger source separation, appropriate disposal charges, clear compost-quality standards and policies that protect and integrate informal workers. International development institutions can provide concessional finance and technical expertise, while governments can reduce investment risks through predictable regulations and incentives.

If these elements come together, organic waste can shift from being a growing source of methane and municipal costs into an economic resource supporting cleaner cities, renewable energy, jobs, agriculture, private investment and national climate goals.