4.7 Tunisia: The ECOLEF Program to Increase Recycling

BOX 4.6

Morocco: Implementing an Ecotax on Plastic Production (Continued)

landfills improved from 10 percent in 2008 to 32 percent in 2015. Fourteen controlled landfills were completed, but as of 2020 an estimated 300 uncontrolled dumps still exist around the country that should be closed and rehabilitated. In 2014, the methods for redeploying the ecotax were the subject of a governance study, in close consultation with the stakeholders concerned, which showed that the activities supported to date were limited to those relating to setting up sorting centers at controlled landfills, plastic-bag collection campaigns, and awareness campaigns. The lack of capacities at the local level for implementing the initiatives was also a constraint. Overall, systematic results on the effectiveness of the ecotax are scarce and there has been little documentation.

For the future, this tax will probably require more reviews, because a more recent study showed that the plastic sector is expected to continue to increase in Morocco, reaching 15 million tons, with a turnover of around DH 32 billion by 2030. The automotive, aeronautics, and electric and electronics sectors will continue to be the main customers of this industry.

Source: World Bank 2021d.

BOX 4.7

Tunisia: The ECOLEF Program to Increase Recycling

The ECOLEF program was the first program to manage consumer packaging in Africa and the Middle East and North Africa. Tunisia’s Ministry of Environment launched ECOLEF as a public-private partnership in 1997. The ECOLEF program developed a national system for recovery and recycling postconsumer packaging, primarily focused on plastic waste. It is administered by the National Agency for Waste Management (ANGed) in cooperation with private companies and governed by several decrees that specify the methods required for collecting and managing bags, plastic bottles, and other high-density polyethylene (PEHD) plastics.

The ECOLEF program has improved the market for collecting postconsumer packaging, improved recycling rate, and created thousands of recycling jobs. The system encourages individual and informal collectors to gather used plastics and metals and deliver the materials to ECOLEF collection centers. In return, waste collectors are paid based on the type and quantity of packaging collected. Those who participate in the ANGed program and sell their materials to an ECOLEF collection center receive a subsidized price instead of the local market prices.

Since its launch, the system has enabled the regulation of the sector and