Monday, 25 May 2026
A photo of El-Salam landfill in East Cairo
Where waste once piled, new hopes grow
Communities in and around Cairo are seeing signs of hope as some of the city’s largest landfills take on new life. Once sites of accumulated waste and worry, these former dumping grounds are being safely transformed, bringing both environmental relief and fresh promise for local residents.
At El-Salam, one of East Cairo’s largest former waste sites, long associated with foul odors and neighborhood complaints, the change is already visible. The landfill has been safely sealed, with layers of protection to prevent gases and contaminants from seeping into the air or nearby homes.
Special wells now capture landfill gases, which are treated and prepared to become a new source of energy for the national grid. This not only helps protect people’s health but also turns an environmental problem into a resource.
Local residents, including those living near new housing and beloved sports clubs, now look forward to further plans for the site, possibly including new parks or public spaces. With the worst pollution risks contained, a burden has been lifted and imaginations can take flight.
Not far away, at the temporary El-Obour landfill, quick action followed community concerns about lingering health and safety issues.
This site, which receives waste from both Cairo and Qalyubia governorates and covers 130 feddans, has suffered from years of accumulated waste, presenting serious environmental and health challenges.
Rather than letting the site’s problems grow, the government responded with a firm plan: close the site to new waste deliveries and begin a careful, year-long cleanup and transformation process.
This approach, drawing on expertise from both local and international partners, aims to give the land back to the community, safer, greener, and full of potential.
Perhaps the most ambitious turnaround is happening at Abu Zaabal in Qalyubia, a gigantic landfill that has quietly amassed some 15 million cubic metres of waste since 1998.
Now, with support from the World Bank, work has started to cap the 125-feddan landfill, prevent gas leaks, and reclaim the land for nature and future generations. Where piles of rubbish once dominated, the hope is for a green oasis where people and wildlife alike can thrive.
Abu Zaabal will undergo a full closure and rehabilitation over the next 28 months. Plans include comprehensive waste stabilisation, safe covering, and most inspiringly, transforming the area into a sustainable green space integrated with its natural surroundings.
These measures directly address environmental hazards, such as gas emissions from unregulated dumping, and promise tangible benefits for the local ecosystem and economy.
“Shifting away from outdated, unsafe waste disposal practices will yield significant environmental and social improvements,” said Minister of Local Development and Acting Minister of Environment, Manal Awad, during her recent tour of the site.