Insights on Harnessing Domestic Biowaste for Greening the Green City of Benguerir in Morocco

Ngonidzashe Chirinda (), Mohamed Louay Metougui and Mohamed El Gharous
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Ngonidzashe Chirinda: Agricultural Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre, AgroBioSciences, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Lott 660 Hay Moulay Rachid, Benguerir 43150, Morocco
Mohamed Louay Metougui: Agricultural Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre, AgroBioSciences, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Lott 660 Hay Moulay Rachid, Benguerir 43150, Morocco
Mohamed El Gharous: Agricultural Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre, AgroBioSciences, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Lott 660 Hay Moulay Rachid, Benguerir 43150, Morocco

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-5

Abstract: As the human population grows, the amount of household-generated waste is projected to grow. However, data on the amounts of household-generated waste are lacking in many regions. Uncertainties in the amounts and fractions of biowaste make it challenging to manage actions that reduce its environmental impacts and generate value. The current observational study sought to quantify and characterize the household waste generated in the green city of Benguerir. To achieve this objective, we surveyed waste generation rates in 68 randomly selected households. The results showed that, on average, 0.69 kg of waste was generated per person per day. An average of 80% of the household-generated waste was biowaste, which, if managed appropriately, represents a valuable source of plant nutrients. We estimated that shifting from the current landfill disposal of biowaste to its utilization for compost and biogas production will result in up to an 88% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. These findings suggest that managing household waste will be vital for reducing city-wide carbon emissions and simultaneously creating employment in the waste management sector.

Keywords: anaerobic digestion; biowaste; composting; greenhouse gas emissions; household waste generation; landfill (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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