The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) spends about 10 billion Iraqi dinars a month collecting, transporting, and covering more than 6,000 tons of waste daily in the Kurdistan Region.

The amount of trash collected varies depending on the season, and generally is between 6,000 and 6,500 tons a day, the Director of Environmental Protection and Waste Treatment at the Ministry of Municipality and Tourism, Aras Fuad Sabir, told the KRG’s official website.

The entire process also depends on the location. In residential areas, they are collected every other day, while collection from commercial places and bazaars takes place on a daily basis and once or twice a week in villages.

“The monthly cost of collecting, transporting, and covering waste in the Kurdistan Region reaches 9 billion 952 thousand and 755 Iraqi dinars and 32 contracts have been signed for the services of waste collection, transportation, and cleaning the Kurdistan Region,” Sabir added.

Trash is often only covered in the cities and provinces of the Kurdistan Region. But, there are two waste separation projects in the Kurdistan Region’s Duhok and on the borders of Amedi town. In Sulaimani, there is a project that transforms waste into alternative energy (refuse-derived fuel).

Sabir called for raising awareness through schools, media, and civil organisations for the reduction of the amount of produced waste.