The municipality of Casablanca is preparing to change its approach to urban waste management. The goal is to end a situation deemed unjust and costly, where large waste producers (hotels, restaurants, large retailers, etc.) benefit from municipal collection on the same basis as households, without specific contributions.
This reform, spearheaded by the City Council, aims to introduce a straightforward principle: large producers will pay based on the actual volume of waste collected, through a tonnage billing system.
“The situation is no longer sustainable”
For Moulay Ahmed Afilal, the vice president of the Casablanca municipality, the current model has reached its limits. He finds it “unacceptable” that the city continues to provide free waste collection for certain economic actors at the same level as it does for citizens.
According to him, blatant abuses have been observed on the ground. For example, in the Aïn Diab area, a single restaurant reportedly requires a municipal dump truck four to five times a day, highlighting the scale of the problem and the pressure on municipal resources.
Dedicated trucks and onboard weighing systems
To address these issues, the municipality plans to deploy specific trucks dedicated solely to large waste producers. These vehicles will be equipped with onboard weighing systems to accurately measure the volumes collected and ensure transparent billing.
The stated principle is clear: payment based on collected tonnage, a mechanism already implemented in several cities and widely used internationally.
A model already applied elsewhere, notably in Marrakech
The vice president cites the example of Marrakech, where large producers already pay for the collection of their waste. Casablanca aims to align itself with a practice considered fairer and more economically rational.
Sanctions foreseen for deposits in household bins
Another important aspect: any entity that deposits its waste in bins reserved for citizens will face sanctions. The municipality seeks to prevent circumvention of the system and to stop professional waste from being “diluted” into the regular circuit, to the detriment of public service.
A reform integrated into the future specifications
This new approach will be incorporated into the new specifications for the delegated management of waste collection, currently under finalization. The document has already been discussed in several City Council meetings, followed by a field tour involving governors, district presidents, and civil society representatives.
According to Afilal, the monitoring committee for the cleanliness sector is set to meet soon to decide on which measures to maintain, enhance, or add in the future contract.
Contracts expiring in March 2026
This reform comes at a strategic time: the current contracts binding Casablanca to operators Averda and Arma expire in March 2026. The municipality aims to finalize the new specifications quickly to launch a new tender on time.
Since March 2020, these two companies have provided the service under six-year contracts worth approximately 1.3 billion dirhams annually. Arma operates in Casablanca-Anfa, Aïn Sebaâ–Hay Mohammadi, and Sidi Bernoussi, while Averda manages Hay Hassani, Moulay Rachid, and Ben M’sick.
Aim: improve service without increasing the budget
Consultations have highlighted several complaints, particularly regarding manual street sweeping and bin washing, which have been deemed insufficient.
The future specifications propose:
- manual street sweeping 7 days a week, compared to 3 times a week currently,
- bin washing 1 to 2 times a week, instead of once every two weeks as it is today.
However, the municipality insists on maintaining the overall budget at 1.3 billion dirhams, even though improving the service could, according to Afilal, theoretically raise the cost to 1.6 billion.
An extraordinary session anticipated
An extraordinary session of the municipal council is expected to be held soon to validate the new specifications, a decisive step before the official launch of the tender.
Key takeaways
Casablanca is moving towards a structural reform: ending free collection for large producers, instituting a tonnage billing system, enhancing control, and improving the quality of service, all without increasing the overall budget. This evolution aims to rebalance costs, hold economic actors accountable, and modernize waste management in the metropolis.
Source: Le360
