The Socio-economic Impact of Sustainable Waste Management on the Municipality of Chetouane, Tlemcen

Algeria has a population of 45.1 million, with a high rate of urbanisation (65%). This situation has led to considerable pressure on the environment, particularly in terms of household waste management. The Algerian government's ambition is to recover 30% of household waste by 2035, in a country that produces an average of 13.1 million tonnes of household waste per year, or one kilogram per inhabitant per day.

The growth in the quantity of waste and its multiplication in urban areas in Algeria represents a real challenge for local authorities. A number of factors, such as population growth, urban expansion, changes in socio-economic activities and changes in lifestyles and consumption patterns, are creating an ever-expanding waste environment.

According to law no. 01-19 of 12-12-2001 on the management, control and elimination of waste in Algeria, waste is considered to be ‘any residue of a production, transformation or use process, and more generally any substance, product or movable asset whose owner or holder discards it, plans to discard it, or is obliged to discard or eliminate it’ (Official Gazette; law no. 01-19; 2001).

Waste management is one of the branches of applied rudology that covers the collection, trading and brokering, transport, treatment (treatment of waste), reuse or elimination of waste, usually that resulting from human activities. The aim of waste management is to reduce the impact of waste on human and environmental health and the quality of life. For several decades now, the emphasis has been on reducing the impact of waste on nature and the environment, and on recovering and reusing waste as part of a circular economy. All types of waste are concerned (solid, liquid or gaseous, toxic, hazardous, etc.), each with its own specific channel. Management methods differ depending on whether you are in a developed or developing country, in a city or in a rural area, and whether you are dealing with a private individual, a manufacturer or a retailer. Non-hazardous waste is usually managed under the responsibility of local authorities, while commercial and industrial waste tends to be managed under their own responsibility.

The public authorities have ratified many protocols and all the international conventions aimed primarily at protecting human health and the environment (the Basel Convention, the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, etc.). They have set up a National Waste Strategy (StratégieNationale des Déchets - SNE), the role of which is to determine the strategic options for promoting sustainable development, regularly assess the implementation of legislative measures, set up institutions and monitor developments in international policies on environmental protection, particularly those relating to the waste sector.

The aim is to gradually improve the system for all residents, taking into account the reality on the ground, without trying to achieve an unattainable utopian model.