In the past, the government of Egypt could not establish a robust nationwide waste collection network, due to a lack of awareness of recycling and shortcomings in subsidising the waste management sector. Therefore, a new waste management law (Law 202/2020 (WML)) was established in 2020 to spur the growth of the waste management industry. By introducing the law, the Waste Management Regulatory Authority (WMRA) was founded to draw up and roll out a national strategy for integrated waste management and overseeing the regulation of the sector and attracting new investors. The WMRA’s oversight role covers an integrated process that encompasses all phases of waste management. For instance, the collection, storage, sorting, transportation, treatment, valuation, recycling, reuse, and disposal of waste through environmentally safe standards. Entities that wish to engage in any of these phases with respect to non-hazardous waste will need to obtain a licence from the WMRA.

Other key reforms introduced by the WML include a prohibition against using open-air waste incineration, limitations on single-use plastic, incentives for waste-generated energy projects, extended producer liability for the cost of managing a product throughout its lifecycle and the green label system, which encourages manufacturers to increase reliance on recyclable production input, limit the generation of industrial waste, and raise consumer awareness of the green label initiatives. The WMRA will also introduce price incentives for alternative fuels and other waste management by-products.