A waste management plan for the Emirate of Kuwait

The Recycling Management Department of Fraunhofer UMSICHT has received a major order to draw up a waste management plan for the Emirate of Kuwait. The project began in January 2017 and will run for four years. It has a volume of EUR 18 million. The client is the Environment Public Authority in Kuwait.

1. Phase: Inventory and collection of primary data

In the beginning, Prof. Dr. Ing. Matthias Franke and his team examined the situation on site. The project will provide a comprehensive inventory and collection of primary data in the Gulf State. In addition to municipal waste also commercial and industrial waste, construction waste, agricultural waste, hospital waste, industrial waste-water and sewage sludge will be examined with regard to volume, composition, sources and disposal routes. The scientists want to find out in detail the quantities of waste or its composition, what routes the waste takes and what the condition of the landfills are. For this analysis, Fraunhofer UMSICHT built and commissioned a sorting station at the decommissioned Jleeb landfill in October 2018.

2.Phase: Exploration of the country's landfills

The landfills of the country are explored with regard to their extent, composition and the hazard potential for humans and the environment. In addition to the simulation of landfill gas and seepage water quantities, drilling is also carried out and gas, seepage water and groundwater measuring points are set up. Furthermore, geophysical investigations are carried out and waste samples are taken.

3. Phase: Creation of a web-based, interactive database showing the waste and landfills in the country

In a third step, a web-based, interactive geoinformation system (Environmental Monitoring Information System of Kuwait, eMISK for short) will be developed to make the data usable for authorities and government and to inform the public. This system will enable individualized situation analyses, graphical data evaluation and the localization of waste producers, waste treatment plants and landfills.

In addition to statistical data and results of laboratory analyses, data from various sensor systems - such as odour emissions recorded in real time in the vicinity of landfills and treatment plants - are fed into the system online. The main task of the project is to create a database showing the waste and landfills in the country.

The aim is to create an information system, which provides real-time data on the environmental situation of all sites of landfills and waste facilities. In addition, the eMISK monitoring system should display exceeded limit values or make the path of the waste visually traceable - all this conveniently via smartphone!

4. Phase: Preparation of a national waste management plan / roadmap

In the last phase of the project, a national waste management plan for the country will be drawn up. To this end, the existing legal framework of the country will be further developed and a financing model for the implementation of the waste management plan will be created. A roadmap sets waste management targets, indicators and action plans for the implementation of waste prevention and recycling measures and for the remediation of landfills over the next 20 years.