The Saudi government has recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a national company to recycle waste at an estimated cost of SR12 billion, according to local media.

The recycling program aims to avoid environmental disasters triggered by the accumulation of waste, coupled with the increase in population at an annual growth rate of over 8 percent.

The program has been submitted to the World Bank for further studies in order to review the economic and technical aspects of the program in light of previous international projects undertaken in this regard.

Meanwhile, local experts said the program would protect the Kingdom from various hazardous environmental disasters like groundwater contamination and the expansion of waste dumps.

In a related development, a number of private sector companies have expressed their willingness to join the program. In addition, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs has signed a MoU agreement with Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC), which seeks to find a joint solution regarding environmental preservation.

The rate of municipal waste recycling in the Kingdom does not exceed 20 percent, according to an informed source.