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Morocco will not allow the importation of toxic waste or waste that does not comply with national standards, said the Ministry of Energy, Mining and Environment.
The Kingdom is committed today and as always not to accept the importation of toxic waste, which is dangerous for the environment and does not comply with national standards laid down in article 42 of law N° 28.00 published on 7 December 2006 relating to waste management and disposal, the ministry said in a statement on Monday.
The ministry recalled that Morocco has been importing for several years non-toxic and non-hazardous waste for the environment that can be used in a series of manufacturing industries, said the department responding to the controversy following the publication of two ministerial decisions relating to the application of certain provisions of Decree No 2.17.587 setting the conditions and modalities of import, export and transit of waste.
According to the same source, the Kingdom imported, between 2016 and 2019 (before the publication of the two decisions) nearly 1.6 million tonnes of this waste which constitutes raw materials for energy and industry such as fabric, plastic, paper and minerals, noting that it has only a small amount of such waste which is subject to strong competition and competitiveness among international companies, especially with the development of the field of recycling and the reuse of waste as part of green and circular economy.
After welcoming the interaction of civil society with ministerial decisions and its concern for issues related to the environment, the ministry underlined the need for a strong and efficient adherence by associative actors working in the field, noting that these two decisions came to set regulations concerning the process of importing non-hazardous waste and not to authorize it and ensure an integrated legal framework for the operations of import, export and transit of waste.
It also explained that the importation of waste is subject to a series of standards and conditions to avoid harming the environment and only authorize the import of waste which will be recycled and not buried in landfills, specifying that the waste authorized for importation is set in accordance with decree No. 02.07.253 of July 18, 2008.
