Tunisia faces a major environmental emergency. According to the World Bank report “Waste Management in the Middle East and North Africa”, the country will need to massively increase investments to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 11.6.1).
Annual spending in the sector, which was $141 million in 2022 (around $65 per ton), must rise to $498 million by 2050 (approximately 1.55 billion Tunisian dinars, based on 1 USD ≈ TND 3.12).
Municipal solid waste generation is expected to double from 3 million tons in 2022 to 6 million tons by 2050.
The report, prepared by World Bank experts (2025/2026) with support from PROBLUE and the Climate Support Facility, paints a stark picture: each Tunisian produces 0.80 kg of waste per day.
Even with a 72% collection rate, the environmental degradation costs of imperfect waste management already reach $155 million per year.
Currently, Tunisia is classified as DB3 “Service Extension”, but the goal is to reach DB8, where waste management is guided by incentive-based fiscal mechanisms.
The country stands out regionally for its organic waste composting rate exceeding 5%, a performance matched by only a few countries like Qatar and Lebanon.
The report also highlights Tunisia’s informal waste sector, employing about 8,000 workers (known locally as Barbechas, or roughly 66 workers per 100,000 inhabitants). It recommends better integration of these actors to optimize material recovery and valorization.
