Palestine: Solid waste management under occupation Plastic Atlas Palestinians face many difficulties in solid waste management due to the policies of the occupation, but waste amounts are increasing due to both population growth and consumption patterns. This calls for better management and a concerted effort among all sectors to find solutions to this problem. By Nidal Atallah
Local Initiatives: Towards banning single-use plastic bags in Tunisia Plastic Atlas In order to fight the plastic pollution that Tunisia is experiencing given the increasing amount of plastic waste, a new governmental decree has been declared banning single-use plastic bags. This step was preceded by a series of procedures that paved the way for it, but the effectiveness of this decree is predicated on a strict implementation and a clear vision. By Anis Guerfi
In Jordan, Governmental Measures are Limited to Solid Waste, ALBEIT SHY INITIATIVES FOR Sorting and Recycling. Plastic Atlas In light of the absence of governmental plans and programs for waste management in Jordan, sorting and recycling processes for plastic waste are limited to individual initiatives by activists and environmental organizations. The amount of solid waste reaching 19 landfills in Jordan has increased to about 1.662 million tons annually, despite the existence of legislations that regulate this process. By Farah Atyyat
Palestine: Solid waste management under occupation Plastic Atlas Palestinians face many difficulties in solid waste management due to the policies of the occupation, but waste amounts are increasing due to both population growth and consumption patterns. This calls for better management and a concerted effort among all sectors to find solutions to this problem. By Nidal Atallah
Tunisia: Tunisian Islands are suffocating with plastic Plastic Atlas Tunisia, with its sixty islands and islets overlooking the coast, suffers from a plastic plague that causes pollution that looms as far as the eye can see. By Wassim Chaabane
Zero Mika or the Difficulty in Getting Rid of Plastic Bags in Morocco: Sometimes a law is just not enough Plastic Atlas Four years after the ban on plastic bags in Morocco, one can notice that they are still used extensively. Efforts have been put into action to formalise this ban, but some of the approaches adopted since the law 77-15 was passed have had limited effects. By Mamoun Ghallab
Morocco’s Plastic Plague: A formal system… with informal connections Plastic Atlas Plastic represents 10 percent of household waste in Morocco or around 690,000 tonnes a year. There is also a lot of plastic found in industrial waste (granules, industrial packaging waste...) and in waste produced by the agricultural sector. Yet, only a very small portion of this is recycled. By Ayman Rachid
A New Paradigm for Plastics By focusing environmental and public-health debates on the issue of waste-management, plastics producers have managed to conceal the elephant in the room. But governments and consumers can no longer ignore the fact that plastic is a problem at all stages of its life cycle – not just after it ends up in the ocean. By Lili Fuhr and Jane Patton
Will COVID-19 Repair the Damage Caused by Mankind? Some believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced the greenhouse gases causing climate change. This belief is inaccurate, as the pandemic has only reduced the emission of these gases for a temporary period. However, a few months will not reverse what human activity has caused since the industrial revolution. By Safa’ Al Jayoussi
“How on Earth Are We Discussing Article 6?” During the climate conference COP25, negotiators were unable to reach a consensus on the adoption of Article 6 - one of the unresolved agenda items from the Paris Agreement. Meanwhile, half a million people took to the streets of Madrid calling for climate justice. By Najla Abdellatif
