RIYADH: The Gulf Cooperation Council’s waste management market is forecast to exceed $104 billion by 2031, as governments step up investment in recycling, waste treatment and resource recovery.  

The market is expected to expand from $68.3 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate of 7.29 percent through 2031, according to a report by the Gulf Cooperation Council Statistical Center, cited by the Emirates News Agency, or WAM. 

Gulf states expand waste-sector investments 

The outlook reflects growing opportunities for private investors as Gulf states pursue waste-management strategies, expand recycling capacity and seek to recover more value from industrial and agricultural waste.  

Saudi Arabia expects its recycling sector to generate about SR640 billion ($170.6 billion) in private-sector investment opportunities by 2040, while contributing an estimated SR650 billion to gross domestic product, according to the Invest Saudi investment platform. 
 
Dubai is also seeking to attract private investment through its Integrated Waste Management Strategy 2021–2041. The plan has a budget of 74.5 billion dirhams ($20.3 billion), including 70.5 billion dirhams in direct private-sector contributions, and focuses on waste treatment, recycling and waste-to-energy projects, according to the UAE government. 
 
Waste volumes rise across the region  

The GCC statistical report highlighted the region’s leadership in solid waste management. “Four Gulf states — the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait — achieved the highest global score of 100 out of 100 in the sustainable waste management category of Yale University’s Environmental Performance Index. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia also performed strongly, scoring 98.51 and 92.27, respectively, among 180 countries,” the report stated. 

It added: “Furthermore, the UAE led the Gulf region in the collection of agricultural waste, with 2.4 million tonnes, followed by Kuwait with 0.6 million tonnes. This comes against the backdrop of a 79.9 percent cumulative growth in the sector between 2017 and 2024, with the agricultural sector’s contribution to the GDP reaching $39.9 billion.” 

Across the six GCC countries, the volume of waste collected reached 283.5 million tonnes in 2024, up 20.4 percent from the previous year. Of that total, 69 million tonnes were treated, an increase of 6.2 percent from 2023. 

The report also identified opportunities in hazardous industrial and medical waste treatment, material recycling, metal recovery and used-oil processing as Gulf countries expand their waste-treatment and resource-recovery capabilities.