Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Egypt Banning Plastics to Clean Up Beaches


Thu 29 Aug 2019 | 12:13 PM
Ahmed Yasser

Egypt forbided use plastics on some of its beaches, but that's not all. The decision aims to protect wildlife, marine life and endangered species, all of which have been severely affected by plastic due to ingestion, poisoning or suffocation.

Meanwhile, Egyptian start-ups are becoming more inventive. This is a major challenge if we consider the environmental impact of plastic, which takes several centuries to decompose.

"Bekia"firm

"Bekia", a website that positions itself on the waste exchange market in Cairo. Understand: users are able to declare on the site the waste they want to dispose of, whatever it is (plastics, paper, food), and exchange it for a range of 65 products offered by Bekia.

The start-up claims to be the first website in the Middle East and North Africa to trade waste. It now has 7,000 users and hopes to pass the 50,000 mark within two years.

In addition "Go Clean" firm under the leadership of the Environment, Ministry, this startup is campaigning to democratize waste recycling in the country, collecting waste from factories, households, schools, restaurants and businesses.

The company, which started with the management of 7 orders per day, now handles more than a hundred orders per day.

These initiatives are refreshing at a time when the world, and not just the Arab world is facing an extremely high environmental challenge. No doubt they will quickly create emulators.