An overview of the plastic waste and recycling status in Qatar

Abstract

It has been estimated that the average Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generation rate per capita in the Gulf Co-operation countries (GCC) is approx. 1.5 kg/person/d, with Qatar reaching almost 1.4 kg/person/d, as it was recently reported, thereby ranking the Gulf States in the top places of the most waste generating countries globally. Plastics, accounting for approx. 13–14% of the total MSW (in these countries), constitute both a significant amount and a valuable resource to be recovered. In the current work, an attempt is made towards delineating the plastic waste and recycling status of the country, based on recent governmental reports.