Muscat: Volume of collected waste in the GCC member states at the end of 2023 amounted to approximately 262.7 tons, marking an increase of 153.7 percent compared to 2019, stated a report by the Oman-headquartered GCC Statistical Center.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the total treated waste during the same period reached 192 million tons, rising by 128.5 percent. Furthermore, the per capita residential garbage fell by 17.4 percent, estimated at 1.4 kilograms per person daily. The report highlighted that the proportion of accumulated non-hazardous waste reached 99.2 percent, while the percentage of dangerous waste exported for treatment or recycling abroad was estimated at 95.8 percent.
The GCC states have achieved Goal-12 of the sustainable development objectives related to the recycling of hazardous waste at a 30 percent rate in 2023. The report indicated that the volume of accumulated waste in the health sector post-COVID-19 reached 11.4 percent in 2023, compared to 2022. The GCC countries have made progress in treating medical waste, with the number of medical incinerators increasing to 23 in 2023, a rise of 27.8 percent compared to 2022.
The capacity of these incinerators also expanded by 123.9 percent, reaching 127.5 thousand metric tons. Meanwhile, the volume of assembled dangerous waste in the industrial sector post-COVID crisis increased by 23.8 percent in 2023, compared to the previous year.
Municipal waste from households has decreased over the past three years after peaking in 2020 at 35.5 million tons, with records showing 30.8 million tons by the end of 2023. Accumulated agricultural waste rose by 44 percent in 2023, reaching 2.5 million tons, compared to 2.0 million tons in 2022 and 1.7 million tons in 2019. Municipal waste from other economic sectors increased from 11.9 million tons in 2019 to 14.3 million tons in 2023.
Moreover, a report by the Intelligence Mordor agency revealed that the value of trash management in the GCC countries was USD 68.3 billion in 2025, with forecasts indicating it could soar to USD 97.4 billion by 2030, projecting an annual growth rate of 7.4 percent during the 2025-2030 period.
The GCC Statistical Center is recognized as the official authority for disseminating information and statistics about planning departments in the GCC countries. The GCC is a regional bloc established in the early 1980s to foster cooperation among Arabian countries in various sectors, including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain.