The Announcement: The National Investment Commission (NIC), alongside the Ministry of Environment and the Spanish Embassy, has inaugurated Iraq's first smart automated waste collection project in technical partnership with Spain’s URD and Al-Maher Economic Group.
How It Works: Waste is deposited through dedicated inlets inside homes and transported via pneumatic underground pipes straight to central stations for sorting, recycling, or waste-to-energy generation.
Key Benefits: Eliminates conventional garbage truck traffic and open bins, drastically reduces carbon emissions, and upgrades urban infrastructure toward sustainable smart cities.
First Deployment: Karbala Governorate has initiated the roll-out across 17 districts to manage its massive waste volume, which exceeds 750,000 tons during peak pilgrimage events like Arba'een.
Next Steps: Joint committees are actively standardizing environmental requirements, raising community awareness for waste sorting at the source, and mandating the technology for upcoming investment citie
