SIRC CEO says SAR 30-70 bln wasted annually due to lack of recycling in Saudi Arabia

Ziyad Al Shiha, CEO of SIRC

The value of waste resulting from the lack of recycling in Saudi Arabia stands between SAR 30-70 billion annually, Al Eqtisadiah newspaper reported, citing CEO of Saudi Investment Recycling Co. (SIRC) Ziyad Al Shiha.

Al Shiha further said Saudi Arabia is currently able to recycle volume of waste valued between SAR 1-3 billion out of the above-mentioned amount.

The current volume of waste is 45 million tons in the Kingdom, half of which is from demolition and construction projects, a quarter of it from municipalities, and the rest is from medical and industrial waste.

The CEO pointed out that 99% of the materials and waste that can be recycled in the Kingdom are not utilized, and work is underway to reduce this percentage as it needs labor, industry, and investments.

SIRC is aiming for 80% recycling in the Kingdom, as landfills with bad environmental impact account for more than 90% of the waste that can be recycled. The company is working to enter into partnerships with the Ministry of Environment and the National Waste Management Center.

According to the data compiled by Argaam, SIRC was established in 2017, wholly-owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF). The company works on developing and operating many activities in the recycling field.