Project type           Waste management; Separation at source; Domestic composting; Communication and awareness

Partners                 Municipality of M’Saken supported by MedCities, partner of the Med4Waste project

Dates                           2023-2025

Funding                    Med4Waste project (ENI CBC MED Programme)

As a first step, the Municipality of M’Saken has signed an agreement with the National Waste Management Agency and the “Oxygen M’essadin” Association to carry out a pilot project in the “Quartier des Villas.” The main objectives of this initiative are to produce domestic compost to distribute free of charge to residents and organize in parallel awareness and training sessions on the importance of this process and how to implement it. These sessions are planned to take place throughout the year 2025.

Besides, as part of the Med4Waste Mentorship Program, the municipality of M’Saken carried out a tailored action to organize the collection of packaging waste (plastics and cardboard) at the Ter Fer market, which comprises over 290 shops with various activities. This initiative aimed to raise awareness among merchants about the importance of sorting packaging waste and to implement a participatory plan for its collection and treatment.

In 2023, as part of the program, they interviewed merchants to collect information about their activity, the types of waste generated and the approximate quantities. Additionally, during these interviews, the merchants were informed about the scope of the action, and participation letters were distributed to encourage a participatory approach.

Later, a waste characterization campaign was conducted and, for 6 days, the municipality of M’Saken took responsibility for the separate collection of packaging waste from commercial establishments. After obtaining approval from the Regional Directorate of ANGED in Sousse, the waste was then transported and deposited at the Kalaa Soghra sorting center. In this center, the characterization of the waste was made to identify the different types and specific quantities of each fraction.

The total amount of waste received at the Kalaa Soghra sorting center over a 6-day period was 700 kg, of which 100 kg represents non-recyclable ultimate waste. Furthermore, the amount of recyclable packaging waste was 600 kg. The cardboard fraction represents the largest portion of the waste, with a quantity of 580 kg, which accounts for 83% of the total characterized waste. It is significantly followed by plastic film, while other types of waste (such as polystyrene, cans, and paper) make up relatively small proportions of the total collected waste.

The project estimated that the direct revenue of recyclable waste quantities would be approximately 12,000 Tunisian Dinars (TND) – 3,600 EUR approximately. Although the fees are not very significant in terms of waste management costs, this approach not only helps reduce the costs associated with waste management but also minimizes the environmental burden by promoting a sustainable waste treatment strategy.

After that, a dialogue workshop was held at the municipality of M’Saken between merchants and authorities. Awareness and education campaigns on the importance of recycling and its benefits were carried out for merchants and residents.

The project concluded with the need for the installation of collection points within the market for the separate collection of recyclable packaging waste, particularly cardboard and plastic. The municipality proposed different collection points and organized a validation workshop with the different stakeholders. Moreover, informative flyers on waste collection procedures were also designed and provided to the residents and businesses.

• Some actions have been carried out so far to start implementing a better waste management system: interviews with merchants, awareness raising campaigns, waste characterization campaigns, dialogue workshops, installation of collection points and design of informative flyers to be provided to residents and businesses.
• The Municipality of M’Saken is striving to improve solid waste management and establish a culture of circular economy. They hope to receive both technical and financial support to continue working and achieve advanced stages in this field.