The Tunisian Ministry of Local Affairs and the Environment has recently launched a call for applications for the construction of a waste sorting/treatment center in Tunisia in a bid to improve household waste management as the North African country’s population keeps on growing.

According to the Word bank, back in 2019, the country had a population of about 11.6 million which is expected to increase to more than 11.9 million by the end of this year (2021).

In a statement, the Department of the Environment specified that this action is part of the implementation of its 2021 budget, stressing that it will ensure the financing of municipal projects that will be selected, and this, within the limit of the envelope allocated for this purpose.

It also noted that these projects, aimed at developing the waste management system, can be carried out only by municipalities or in collaboration with a local authority.

The department has set May 31, 2021, as the deadline for receiving the applications.

Employing fermentation technology

The planned facilities will utilize fermentation technology, or rather the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. This is the same process/technology used to produce biogas.

Each year, Tunisia produces 2.6 million tonnes of household and similar waste that is managed by Annuaire des sociétés autorisées (ANGED) or rather the Tunisian National Waste Management Agency.

“The waste, characterized by a high level of organic matter (63%) and a high level of humidity varying between 65% and 70%, is wrapped in 55,000 tonnes of plastic over the same period, before being put into bins,” explained the ANGED in a statement.

ANGED is a public establishment of a non-administrative nature that has legal personality and financial autonomy, under the supervision of the Ministry of Local Affairs and the Environment.