Cairo’s Collectors and Recyclers Gain Government Support, Form Syndicate

After over two years of hard work at the community and central levels, a systematic and organized process of registering small household and commercial traditional waste collectors into formal companies has begun. According to Laila Iskandar of the Cairo-based
Spirit of Youth Association (SoY), the General Authority for Investment – the unit for small and medium enterprises – has been an invaluable actor in this process.

Iskandar has been working for years with the waste collectors/recyclers in and around Cairo. She notes that representatives met with the Governor of Cairo, requesting the integration for the
small companies into the formal tendering and procurement process of the city of Cairo, particularly in areas where collection service is inadequate.

The Governor subsequently issued a decree with some new directives:

• the Cairo Cleansing and Beautification Authority (CCBA) was directed to contract the new companies, particularly in neighbourhoods with a low density population
• waste segregation at source at the household level will be required
• porters (bawaabs) who throw household waste into street containers, instead of giving the waste to contracted companies with official contracts for specific neighbourhoods, will be penalized

“This is all new and the CCBA is still sorting itself out to put the decree into effect but we are getting more and more companies registered every day,” said Iskandar. 

A Syndicate for the Traditional Collectors and Recyclers

Approval to establish a syndicate for the garbage collectors and recyclers has also been achieved. The group will be called the Syndicate for Workers in the Cleansing and Beautification Sector. Funds have been deposited into a new bank account, which allows the Ministry of Manpower and Labor to finalize the remaining documents for establishment.

The progress was celebrated at an event on January 19, 2012 that brought recyclers and collectors from the six Zabbaleen neighbourhoods, two major TV channels, one Member of Parliament, government officials and NGO partners from among the source segregation public awareness partners. The recycling school choir performed and information was spread among participating collectors and recyclers on the formalization of recycling workshops and companies.

“What a blessing this event has been! We will now continue to expand membership to 3,000 members (the founding members are 300) so we have a lot of hard work ahead of us,” said Iskandar.

Last January (2011) the disruption in waste collection during the political uprising in Egypt created an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of proper waste management, and Iskandar then expressed confidence that Egypt's post-revolution era represents a provided a “pivotal moment" for garbage collectors. Read the article “Arab Spring in Egypt Brings ‘Pivotal Moment’ for Garbage Collectors.”