14 June 2023; MEMO: A member of the Moroccan parliament has questioned what measures the government has put in place to protect the kingdom from being a site to dump foreign rubbish.
This comes after media outlets published details of an investigation carried out by the Spanish authorities into the smuggling of tonnes of plastic waste into Morocco and other countries in Africa.
In response, Member of Parliament Ahmed Al-Abbadi, a member of the Progress and Socialism Bloc, asked Morocco's Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, about Rabat's moves to stop such practices, adding that some of the practices go beyond minor environmental violations and evolve into organised crimes.
Al-Abbadi added that Morocco had made significant strides in environmental protection, the latest being the ban on plastic bags. "Therefore, we alert the government, especially in light of networks involved in human trafficking, arms, and other activities. What has been mentioned in media reports may be related to a network engaged in smuggling plastic waste to Morocco. The supervisory authority should investigate the matter and provide data to the public."
