How Europe Exports its Waste to Morocco Under the Guise of Recycling

• European countries legally ship massive quantities of waste to Morocco, classifying it as "reusable" materials to bypass disposal costs and environmental regulations.
• Industrial-scale burning of this waste in Moroccan cement kilns causes significant health crises for local communities like those in Mediouna.
• Data reveals a massive financial incentive: processing waste in Europe costs roughly USD 100 per tonne, compared to USD 36–39 in Morocco, saving European corporations millions annually.

The Loophole of "Secondary Raw Materials"

• EU law allows waste to be reclassified as "secondary raw material" or "alternative fuel," which removes it from stricter waste-disposal ledgers.
• Between September 2024 and September 2025, Europe shipped at least 36,611 tonnes of waste (primarily clothing) to Morocco.
• Official Moroccan government statistics include an additional 717,000 tonnes of metal and organic waste reclassified by exporters as commodity scrap.
• Spain is the largest exporter, responsible for 80 percent of clothing shipments and two-thirds of plastic waste arriving in Morocco.

Health and Environmental Impact

• Burning waste in cement kilns releases toxic emissions, including dioxins, which have increased over fourfold in fuel-mix scenarios.
• Local residents near Moroccan industrial sites report elevated risks of respiratory diseases and cancers.
• Despite massive import permits approved by the Moroccan government, the country's own landfill infrastructure is failing, as evidenced by a USD 250 million World Bank upgrade project to manage domestic waste alone.

Regulatory Challenges

• Corporate accountability laws, such as the 2024 Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, generally stop at the point of export, leaving exporters exempt from environmental damage occurring in Moroccan cement kilns.
• The EU plans to ban plastic waste exports to non-OECD countries by November 2026, with further restrictions on other waste types following in May 2027.
• Activists argue that "circularity" initiatives currently function as an outsourcing mechanism that creates "sacrifice zones" for European domestic recycling targets.