Plastic pollution costs Morocco nearly $1.2 billion a year, Greenpeace says

19:15

Plastic pollution is emerging as a significant environmental and economic burden for Morocco, with damage to marine ecosystems along the country's Mediterranean coastline estimated at nearly $1.2 billion annually, according to a recent report by Greenpeace MENA.

The figure, equivalent to around 12 billion Moroccan dirhams, represents close to 0.8% of Morocco's gross domestic product. The estimate covers damage to Mediterranean marine ecosystems but does not include the country's Atlantic coast or the wider economic consequences for activities such as tourism and fishing.

Morocco generates hundreds of thousands of tonnes of plastic waste

The report estimates that Morocco produces approximately 422,000 tonnes of plastic waste every year. A substantial share of this material is not properly managed, with nearly 250,000 tonnes classified as mismanaged waste.

Around 75,000 tonnes of plastic are estimated to reach the sea annually, increasing pressure on coastal and marine environments already exposed to multiple forms of pollution.

The scale of the problem also highlights significant differences in waste collection between urban and rural areas. In 2019, collection services covered about 96% of urban areas, while coverage in rural communities stood at only 10%.

This gap leaves large quantities of waste outside formal collection systems and increases the risk of plastic entering waterways and eventually reaching the sea.

Recycling infrastructure remains incomplete

Morocco's recycling capacity is another area of concern highlighted by Greenpeace. Of the 26 sorting centres planned under the country's waste-management efforts, only nine had been built, while just three were operating, according to the organization.

For Greenpeace, improving infrastructure is essential if Morocco is to reduce the amount of plastic escaping into the environment. Expanding collection services alone would not be sufficient without functioning facilities capable of sorting and recovering recyclable materials.

The organization warns that the financial consequences could accumulate rapidly. If current trends continue, damage to Mediterranean marine ecosystems associated with plastic pollution could reach approximately $22 billion between 2026 and 2040.

A broader economic challenge

Beyond the environmental cost, plastic pollution poses risks to economic activities that depend on healthy coastal and marine ecosystems.

Tourism and fisheries are among the sectors potentially affected, although Greenpeace's annual estimate of $1.2 billion does not include their direct losses. The figures therefore point to a potentially wider economic impact than the headline environmental cost suggests.

The issue also reflects persistent weaknesses in waste-management coverage, particularly outside major urban centres, where collection infrastructure remains considerably less developed.

Greenpeace calls for stronger producer responsibility

Greenpeace MENA is urging Morocco to focus on several measures, including expanding waste collection in rural areas and ensuring that existing sorting facilities become fully operational.

The organization also advocates greater responsibility for producers throughout the life cycle of packaging. Under such an approach, companies would have a greater role in preventing, collecting and managing the waste generated by their products.

Greenpeace further recommends stronger support for informal waste collectors, who play a role in recovering recyclable materials, and calls for the adoption of a global treaty aimed at reducing plastic production.

For Morocco, the figures underline the growing cost of plastic pollution and the need to address waste management not only as an environmental issue, but also as a long-term economic and coastal resilience challenge.