Page 509 - Sustainable Cities and Communities Design Handbook

478 Sustainable Cities and Communities Design Handbook

These key players would all be managed under the institutional and
organizational framework outlined below:

National Government
Ministry of State and Environmental Affairs Governorates
Egyptian Environmental Egyptian Solid Waste SWM units
Affairs Agency Management Authority
Environmental Regulation SWM Strategy, Policy & Planning services &
Legislation Infrastructure
Environmental Strategy, Investment Programming Implementation
Policy & Legislation
Support to Governorates & Service Provision
new housing communities
Reproduced from SWEEPNET, 2014. Country Report on the Solid Waste Management in Egypt. Retrieved
from: www.sweep-net.org/sites/default/files/EGYPT%20RA%20ANG%2014_1.pdf.

The new reform addresses some of the previously insurmountable prob-
lems faced by Cairo’s SWM sector. The new system takes into account the
Zabbaleen and NGOs, as well as other previously ignored stakeholders in the
policy-making process. The objective of the reform is clearly stated, as well as
the primary principles under which the policy will be carried out. However,
there are still some constraints that need to be addressed. As seen with
implementing environmental legislation in general, Egypt has a history of
ineffective enforcement, and the SWM sector is no different. There has his-
torically been a lack of personnel to enforce the laws, a lack of funds to assist
with enforcement, a lack of necessary infrastructure, and a legal base fraught
with corruption. Another problem has been one of financing, especially
attracting private sector investment domestically and abroad. The instability
and ineffectiveness of the institutional frameworks within Egypt has previ-
ously disincentivized private investment, especially in the SWM sector. Only
time will tell if the new policies will effectively address these historical
roadblocks (El Gamal, 2012).
That being said, active incorporation of the Zabbaleen in the municipal
waste management strategy is a huge step forward for Cairo and its sustainable
development. As seen previously, one of the main foci of the Egyptian gov-
ernment has been social welfare and alleviation of poverty. Although they are
not technically contracted by the government, allowing the Zabbaleen to
perpetuate their livelihood of waste collection is mutually beneficial to the
quality of life of the Zabbaleen and to the waste management and socioeco-
nomic goals of the Egyptian government. Through local government pro-
grams, as well as international donors such as the World Bank, the Zabbaleen
have been able to invest in technologies that help them even more efficiently
recycle waste and turn a profit. In addition, the establishment of the Recycling
School for Boys within Mokattam, also known as the Garbage City, has helped
hundreds of children to learn relevant job skills and also to become literate.