Egypt: New Grant Seeks to Improve Management of Electronic and Healthcare Waste

Egypt: New Grant Seeks to Improve Management of Electronic and Healthcare Waste

The original project - approved in 2021- supports Egypt’s efforts to reduce pollution in Greater Cairo, with a focus on reducing vehicle emissions, improving the management of solid waste, and strengthening the air and climate decision-making system.

The generation of healthcare waste is rapidly increasing in Egypt, as in other countries, as a result of COVID-19, expanding healthcare systems, increased utilization of single-use items, and poor waste segregation practices.

Egypt also generates large amounts of electronic, or E-waste, which has been further compounded by the country’s national ICT expansion and digital upgrading efforts. Moreover, the current treatment and disposal practices of healthcare and e-waste need to be improved in order to reduce the release of more uPOPs (unintentional persistent organic pollutants), which are a group of chemicals that persist in the environment and can lead to serious health effects and adversely affect environmental quality when released into the air, water or soil.

Public health studies indicate that exposure to uPOPS poses many health threats including respiratory problems, skin disorders, acute brain damage, stroke, asthma, coughing, bronchitis, reduced lung development, and high blood pressure. Workers who collect and process this waste are at the greatest risk as they come into direct contact with hazardous