Egypt's Acting Environment Minister and Local Development Minister, Manal Awad, chaired on Tuesday the third meeting of the Waste Management Regulatory Authority's board since its recent reformation, approving a set of new measures designed to strengthen the country's waste management system, the ministry announced in a statement. Presiding over her first session since assuming the environment portfolio, Awad stressed the board's role in supporting national environmental policy and advancing Egypt's integrated waste management agenda. The meeting was attended by Yasser Abdullah, head of the Waste Management Authority, along with representatives from relevant ministries and technical experts. During the session, the board approved regulatory amendments governing licences and permits issued under Waste Law No. 202 of 2020, including new mechanisms for appeals. It also endorsed the introduction of independent licences for companies handling construction and demolition waste, which will be linked to a digital monitoring system to ensure proper disposal at designated sites. Awad instructed coordination with the Housing Ministry and the Industrial Development Authority to allocate areas in new urban communities and industrial zones specifically for such waste. In another step, the council approved reducing licence fees for rice straw collection in order to encourage contractors to continue collecting the crop residue and prevent open-air burning. The decision also included integrating data with the agriculture and planning ministries to improve monitoring and management. Members were additionally briefed on the "Port Said Initiative," a pilot project funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to reduce waste generation, with a particular focus on plastics. The council recommended replicating the initiative across other governorates as part of broader efforts to cut pollution and improve environmental sustainability.
