EPA Collaboration with Morocco

Highlights

September 2019: EPA officials conducted a project closeout mission to El Kelaa des Sraghna Province (El Kelaa), Morocco from September 9 – 14, 2019 to provide final technical advice and tools to government representatives, elected officials, and community members. EPA visited two current landfills serving El Kelaa to provide expert advice on possible low-cost immediate steps to address landfill issues. The team also visited the site of the community’s future landfill location to discuss with local officials the key features of a well-managed landfill and improved landfill management approaches. 

EPA experts held a workshop to present information resources that could be adapted to the Moroccan context and stimulate action for improved waste management practices. EPA officials shared a mini-electronic library of relevant solid waste management resources compiled to address various information needs identified by El Kelaa for improving and expanding solid waste management operational plans, recycling programs, educational resources and other tools. The team also shared the recently developed landfill operations and safety plan for the Deir Alla landfill in the Jordan River Valley and launched in Morocco the sustainability website highlighting solid waste management resources, developed by EcoPeace Middle East in partnership with EPA and EPA grantee Battelle Memorial Institute. 

Activities

June 2019: EPA conducted a mission to Morocco to follow-up on the SWM workshop EPA delivered to El Kelaa in March 2019. This consisted of consultations and training with technical staff in El Kelaa responsible for solid waste management at the regional, municipal, and rural levels. During the June mission, a two-day interactive workshop was conducted for elected representatives from the different communes in El Kelaa; and a one-day workshop was conducted for educators and administrators at the regional, municipal, and rural levels. The elected officials workshop focused on sustainable integrated solid waste management and public participation particularly, on ways to involve the public in addressing SWM and on how to implement the Province’s plan in an efficient sustainable way.

The educators workshop addressed the same issues as those presented to the elected officials with more focus on solid waste sorting at the source, ways to raise awareness (working on SWM with schools and families, civil society, communes), reduce waste and on how to bring value to waste. The province’s SWM plan was presented to the workshop participants and often referenced during the discussions. This workshop resulted in the increased knowledge of over 60 participants on solid waste management and public participation resources and solutions. Educators and administrators at the regional, municipal, and rural levels participated. 

March 2019: EPA provided support to the community of El Kelaa through information exchange and capacity building to assist with implementation of their SWM plan. EPA conducted a two-day interactive workshop for technical staff responsible for solid waste management at the regional, municipal, and rural levels. Over 40 technicians benefited from this workshop and collectively identified measures that could be applied to remediate solid waste issues and to prepare for the development of a future landfill to be operational within 2-3 years.

The EPA team also met with NGOs to identify collaborative capacity building activities that could be undertaken to help raise public awareness on SWM in schools and communities. EPA participated in site visits to 4 uncontrolled landfills in El Kelaa and its vicinity and to a new landfill and recovery center in Marrakech, which is proposed as the model for the future controlled landfill and recovery center of El Kelaa. 

December 2017: EPA worked with Moroccan partners to organize two workshops, held consecutively in Rabat, Morocco:

• Morocco Municipal Solid Waste Management Implementation Workshop: EPA collaborated with Moroccan partners to conduct a workshop for national government agencies and representatives from three rural communities on the development and implementation of integrated solid waste management plans. As a next step, EPA began planning to provide technical assistance in one of these communities.

• Morocco Crisis Communication and Public Participation Workshop: This workshop focused on the various elements of public participation and communication related to waste management, providing a framework for agencies, community groups, and citizens to explore how to work together to advance waste management efforts and reduce potential adverse health and environmental impacts during a crisis. EPA facilitators presented fundamental concepts and tools for both public participation and crisis communication, stressing the crucial role that social media plays in managing communications with the public on environmental incidents.​

• Regional Assessment of Landscape and Land Use Change in the Mediterranean Region, Morocco Case Study (1981–2003) (pdf) (943.72 KB)
• Locating Changes in Land Use from Long Term Remote Sensing Data in Morocco (pdf) (410.1 KB)
• Booming markets for Moroccan argan oil appear to benefit some rural households while threatening the endemic argan forest (pdf) (1.36 MB)

Agreements and Relevant Documents

• U.S.-Morocco FTA
• 2018-2021 Plan of Action: Pursuant to the United States-Morocco Joint Statement on Environmental Cooperation
   

Partners

• Moroccan Ministry of Energy, Mines and Sustainable Development 
• Moroccan Ministry of Interior (text version) 
• U.S. State Department, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
• US Embassy Morocco
• Moroccan Ministry of Industry and Commerce 
• Enforcement Royal Gendarmerie 

Learn More About Morocco

• State Department Morocco Page
• U.S. Central Intelligence Agency  World Factbook: Morocco
• EPA's Collaboration with the Middle East

Contacts