Due to the economic and social developments in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the increase in the population, the patterns of unsustainable consumption of water, food, energy and various products, the increase in the volume of packaging and packaging waste, and the growing market for cheap goods have contributed to the increase in the rate of waste production per capita, leading to an increase in the amount of municipal solid waste.
The development of the health services sector in the Kingdom during the past few decades has also led to an increase in medical waste, part of which is dangerous and requires Private administration .
The problem of waste management is one of the most important environmental problems currently facing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, due to the increasing amount of solid waste and its effects on public health, the environment and the economy.
There are many challenges facing waste management in the Kingdom, the most important of which is the increase in the amount of waste produced, its diversity, the lack of environmental awareness, the culture of consumption, the growth of wastefulness in society, and the production of this waste in some locations during short seasons in huge quantities.
Likewise, the absence of an integrated waste management system, the insufficiency of regulations and legislation to limit its production, the absence of a system for sorting waste from the source, the lack of appropriate infrastructure to manage it according to its types, and the lack of documented data on its quantities, types and characteristics is a challenge to its management.
The low cost of landfill operations compared with the high cost of waste collection, sorting and recycling operations is a challenge to persuade decision-makers to overlook the economic cost, given that waste recycling is an investment opportunity that supports the national economy, and a factor for establishing industries for local consumption or export, and creating job opportunities. In addition to preserving the environment.
