Erbil Launches Major Recycling Push with 500 New Waste and Plastic Separation Bins

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In a tangible step toward fostering a culture of recycling and environmental stewardship, the Kurdistan Foundation, in partnership with the Ministry of Municipality and Tourism, has launched a major project to place 500 specialized waste and plastic separation bins across the streets and public spaces of Erbil.

The initiative, unveiled in a special ceremony on Wednesday, represents a critical component of the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) broader and increasingly ambitious strategy to protect the environment, promote sustainability, and modernize waste management in the face of rapid urban growth.

The project was announced in a ceremony attended by government officials and representatives from the Kurdistan Foundation, who gathered to inaugurate the new initiative aimed at keeping the region's cities and towns clean.

These new bins are designed to make it easier for the public to separate recyclable materials, particularly plastics, from general waste at the point of disposal, thereby streamlining the collection process for both public and private recycling facilities.

Hindreen Ghazi, Director of the Environmental Program at the Kurdistan Foundation, explained the project's practical goals in an interview with Kurdistan24.

"We, as the Kurdistan Foundation, have placed 500 bins for separating waste, refuse, and plastics, to facilitate citizens and the public and private factories working in the field of recycling," he said. "Our goal is for these bins to be used appropriately, so that the separation of plastic and waste can be organized."

This initiative is not an isolated act but a key part of a comprehensive and forward-looking environmental policy championed by the KRG's ninth cabinet.

Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, a Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs and Climate Change, who was present at the ceremony, emphasized how this project aligns with the government's overarching strategy.

"The Kurdistan Regional Government's policy regarding climate change is to have a strategy, for example, building ponds and dams to benefit from the rain and snow that falls," she stated, linking resource management to broader climate goals. "Additionally, the lighting project has contributed to cleaning the environment."

The plastic recycling and waste separation project will be implemented in its first phase in Erbil and Duhok provinces, with the ambitious goal of collecting nine million plastic water bottles within its first year.

The new bins address one of the most pressing environmental challenges facing the rapidly growing capital.

As previously reported by Kurdistan24, an army of sanitation workers in Erbil battles soaring summer heat to collect over 60,000 tons of garbage every month, a monumental effort that costs the government over 10 billion dinars monthly.

This highlights the urgent need for sustainable, long-term solutions that go beyond simple collection and disposal. Officials have long recognized that the current model of relying on landfills is unsustainable, posing significant environmental risks through the emission of methane gas and the contamination of soil and groundwater.

Dr. Sinan Abdullah, the spokesperson for the Environment Board in the Kurdistan Region, had previously stressed the critical need for recycling infrastructure.

"There is an urgent need for recycling plants, especially for solid waste like iron and plastic, to process a large portion of these quantities," he told Kurdistan24, affirming the Board's plan to end the practice of burying waste and transition the Region towards a clean and sustainable environment.

The new separation bins represent a crucial first step in this transition, empowering citizens to participate directly in the recycling process. This initiative builds on earlier efforts to foster a recycling culture in the Kurdistan Region.

As far back as 2019, Erbil and Sulaimani announced new recycling regulations, with initial programs targeting hotels, restaurants, and cafes to separate glass and plastic from general trash.

More recently, a policy was implemented to recycle old and outdated school textbooks, which were previously burned or discarded, by selling them to specialized recycling companies through public tenders.

These waste management reforms are a critical component of an even more ambitious vision to transform Erbil into a model of green urbanism. The KRG has embarked on a series of large-scale initiatives aimed at increasing green spaces, combating the effects of climate change, and enhancing the city's livability.

Chief among these is the massive Erbil Green Belt project, an 85-kilometer-long, two-kilometer-deep ring of forests and parks that will encircle the city.

Erbil Municipality Head Karzan Hadi announced that this project will dramatically increase the capital's green spaces by 25 percent upon completion, raising the total greenery from 18 percent to well over the international standard and serving as a crucial tool in lowering soaring summer temperatures.

This project is complemented by numerous other beautification and planting campaigns, which in recent years have seen nearly 900,000 trees and flowers planted across the city.

The success of these large-scale greening initiatives is intrinsically linked to another pillar of the KRG's environmental strategy: sustainable water management. To irrigate the vast new Green Belt and other public parks, the government is launching major water recycling projects.

Mohammed Shukri, head of the KRG Board of Investment, recently stated that a major water recycling plant in Erbil will ensure that "not a single drop of water in Erbil goes to waste," with treated water being reused for landscaping and agriculture.

This effort is being bolstered by a $200 million loan from Japan to fund a wastewater recycling plant specifically designed to irrigate Erbil's green spaces. By integrating waste management, green infrastructure, and water sustainability, the KRG is demonstrating a holistic and strategic commitment to creating a healthier and more resilient future for its capital.

The placement of 500 new separation bins, therefore, is far more than a simple municipal project. It is a tangible, citizen-facing symbol of this comprehensive vision, a practical tool that invites the public to become active partners in the region's environmental transformation. It connects the daily act of disposing of a plastic bottle to the grander vision of a green, sustainable, and prosperous Kurdistan.