Minister of Environment Yasmin Fouad held talks with Vodafone Egypt on Tuesday for launching a new application for recycling electronic and medical waste. The talks also covered a public education and awareness scheme, which would see short videos published to show how medical waste is safely disposed of at home. Fouad met with officials from Vodafone's legal and sustainable departments to discuss cooperation mechanisms to establish the e-recycling application (E-Tadweer). The project will recycle electronic waste, as part of the medical waste management project undertaken by the ministry and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Egypt. During the meeting, Fouad confirmed that support will be given to the private sector to provide environmental services and contribute to solving environmental issues. She added that Egypt's environment sector aims at supporting any investments in the field. The meeting also tackled the strategy by which the ministry would encourage citizens to use the application to safely dispose of their medical and electronic waste. This would see point incentive programmes or products' purchase vouchers being distributed, in exchange for safe disposal of waste. Vodafone Egypt representatives reviewed the mechanisms and technology needed for the application, which will enhance environmental and sustainability fields. They will look to similar initiatives undertaken by the company in cooperation with many ministries, including the Zero Plastic initiative. The Zero Plastic initiative, which Vodafone is currently implementing, aims to reduce the use of plastic products, instead using environmentally friendly products. Fouad outlined the importance of raising citizen awareness for safely disposing of home medical waste, especially during the current coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis, in addition to preparing citizens for the presidency's "Prepare for Green" initiative.
