ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The mounds of garbage keep piling up. The Kurdistan Region dumps some 7,500 tons of trash into its landfills every day, according to official figures from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)’s Ministry for Municipalities and Tourism.
Kurdistan has just two recycling plants, in Duhok and Akre, but more are in the pipeline as the government plans a Region-wide recycling program.
A facility in Sulaimani is close to being operational and one in Erbil is in the first stages, said Newroz Mawlood, Minister for Municipalities and Tourism. Once they start working, “I dare say in the next two to three years, the whole Kurdistan Region will see recycling facilities operational,” she predicted.
The need is more pressing with each passing day as the piles of trash grow exponentially. In March, the cash-strapped government ended an unpopular austerity measure that slashed public sector wages. Since this salary saving system was lifted following Baghdad’s resumption of payments, the Kurdish public has produced more waste.
“What we have noticed in our monthly and weekly estimates for garbage collection, since the salary saving system was removed, daily trash collections has increased by 100 tons,” said Nizar Kamal, head of Services Department at Sulaimani Municipality.
The KRG on Tuesday launched a week-long environmental campaign, urging greater political and civic engagement to keep Kurdistan clean.
Reporting by Ranja Jamal