Faced with the anarchic management of waste, the municipality of Casablanca in Morocco has set up an "environmental police force". It was recently presented to the authorities of Casablanca, the most populous municipality in the Kingdom of Morocco, with more than 3.3 million inhabitants.
A new unit is now responsible for environmental protection in Casablanca, Morocco. It is the “environmental police” recently set up by the Moroccan City Council. According to the municipal authorities, the new unit, which is intended to be autonomous, will crack down on illegal dumping and other waste-related offences in the economic capital.
Indeed, although waste management in Casablanca has been entrusted since 2019 to Averda, a company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and to the Moroccan family business Mecomar until 2026, pollution is far from living its last days in this city of over 3.3 million inhabitants. The Moroccan city produces an average of 1.2 million tonnes of household waste per year, most of which ends up in the streets and waterways. The cause is irresponsible behaviour by the population.
Reduce offences by 50% by 2028
In order to limit the anarchic disposal of waste in Casablanca, the twenty or so agents of the “environmental police” have received the green light from the municipal authorities to impose fines on recalcitrant citizens. The unit will be supported by the Directorate General of National Security (DGSN) and the Moroccan Ministry of Justice.
The authorities of the municipality of Casablanca hope that this approach will reduce pollution offences in the city by 50% by 2028. The policy will also reduce pressure on water resources. The “environmental police” have an annual budget of 30 million Moroccan dirhams (more than 2.7 million euros) to fulfil their regalian missions. The municipality of Casablanca will provide 70% of this budget and the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior the remaining 30%. According to the municipal authorities, work is underway on a legal framework so that the tasks of the new service and the existing environmental police are clearly defined.
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To reduce pollution in Casablanca, the authorities are also betting on the valorisation of waste. The port city will soon set up a landfill with a waste recovery and sorting centre on a 260 hectare site. The installation will be located in the neighbouring locality of Médiouna, where the old landfill is currently still operational despite its obsolescence.
The project, for which construction work will start in 2023, will be implemented by the Casa Baia Local Development Company (SDL) at a total cost of 4 billion dirhams (nearly 378 million euros). The funds will be mobilised with the support of the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior.
Inès Magoum
