Environmental Protection in KSA

This section contains information about the Kingdom's environmental challenges as well as general information about ecosystems and biodiversity. In addition to weather, air, water, and soil pollution, as well as the Kingdom's efforts to reduce them. We will also discuss the Kingdom's local and international efforts to protect the environment, including waste management and treatment programs, renewable energy projects, and environmental regulations and legislation based on international guidelines and environmental preservation strategies.

Wildlife

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia occupies an area of approximately 2,000,000 square kilometers, which covers two-third of the area of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered on the west by the Red Sea and on the east by the Arabian Gulf. This geographical location of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in addition to its presence within two domains of desert geographic regions, namely the Eurasian region and the tropical African region, contributed to the variation of ecosystems, which in turn contributed to increasing the content of the elements of biodiversity in the Kingdom. There are about 67 surface geological formations in the Kingdom, and each formation has its own climate. Therefore, these formations have become different environments, each containing its own biological diversity.

Ecosystems of The Kingdom

  • Ecosystems of Mountainous Regions
Tree forests dominate the ecosystems in the mountainous regions of the Kingdom, especially the Juniper forests (Juniperus spp.) scattered in the Sarawat Mountains in the southwestern region of the Kingdom, in which other species grow, such as some Acacia spp. And wild olives (Olea europea) and others. These environments contain the highest rates of biological diversity within the Saudi terrestrial environments. In addition to their environmental importance in attracting rain and preserving the soil primarily, they also provide some products such as some medicinal and aromatic herbs and apiaries, and they contain some of the most important natural parks in the Asir, Taif and Al-Baha areas. The Tuwaiq mountain range in the central region and the heights of the northern regions of the Kingdom is characterized by its extreme ruggedness and the presence of many wildlife species, most importantly is the Nubian ibex, and the Idmi gazelle. One of the Kingdom's efforts in the field of preserving these environments is the work on rehabilitating the degraded forest sites, especially in the southwestern region of the Sarawat Mountains, where the ecosystem of Juniper was restored in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
  • Desert Ecosystem
The natural rangelands in the Kingdom occupy an area of 171 million hectares, distributed over all regions of the Kingdom in different proportions, most of which are in areas that receive an average rainfall of less than 200 mm per annum. The largest part of the Kingdom's rangelands is in the northern, eastern, central, and southern regions, and large areas of them are found in various sandy areas, gravel plains and rocky plateaus, and more than two-thirds of these areas is in areas that receive an average rainfall of less than 100 mm per annum. Therefore, most of the Kingdom's rangelands are sporadic desert grasses and shrubs with little density and little coverage of the surface of the earth, they are also characterized by their low pastoral productivity and the fluctuation of pasture from year to year and from one region to another according to the fluctuation of the rainfall and the degree of uniformity of rain distribution, normally most of the pastoral production is during the rainy seasons.
  • Marine Ecosystem
The Red Sea Canyon, with its narrow gorge extending for 2,000 km, is one of the world's greatest extraordinary secondary seas. Its maximum depth is more than 2500 meters. It connects in the south with the Indian Ocean through the narrow Bab al-Mandab Strait, which is no more than 130 meters deep. The Red Sea extends to the northeast, forming the Gulf of Aqaba, and to the northwest, forming the Gulf of Suez, which is connected to the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. The Red Sea differs from other seas in the fact that its waters are well mixed in a way that makes its temperature equal throughout its depth. It is considered one of the greatest reservoirs of marine biodiversity in the world, and the most important characteristic of this tremendous diversity of coral reefs, with its uniquely complex structure and high endemicity, especially between species associated with reefs and species that live in the depths. The Arabian Gulf resembles the Red Sea in that it is a narrow gorge and almost closed. The Arabian Gulf is a shallow northern extension of the tropical Indian Ocean, with an average depth of 35 meters and a maximum depth of no more than 120 meters, and it connects to the Indian Ocean through the Strait of Hormuz, and the rate of renewal of its waters varies Between 3 and 5.5 years. Its water temperature varies greatly throughout the year, as it falls to about 11 ° C in the winter and rises to about 40 ° C in the summer. The high rate of sedimentation in it leads to turbidity of its waters, especially the level of light transmittance through them, which constitutes a continuous environmental stress on its ecological organisms and makes many species live within the limits of their natural range. The biodiversity of the Arabian Gulf contains plant and animal species that are characterized by being highly adaptive to extreme environmental conditions. The Arabian Gulf is also distinguished by its great diversity in coastal and marine ecosystems.
  • Coral Reef Ecosystems
Coral reefs spread widely along the Saudi coast of the Red Sea. It also surrounds the scattered islands of more than 1150 islands in the form of barrier reef, which are more widespread and diverse in the northern and central regions of the Red Sea than in the southern regions. They are also found in the forms of coral barriers located far from the shore, and in the forms of coral patches in shallow areas as in Diffat al-Wajh. In the Red Sea, there are about 270 types of hard corals and 40 types of soft corals. In the Arabian Gulf, coral reefs are of limited spread due to the lack of hard layers and the prevalence of unsuitable environmental conditions. There are 60 species of hard coral reefs on the Saudi coast, and these reefs are spread around islands far from the coast and in a few areas close to the shore.
  • Ecosystems of Sea Grass Beds
Sea grass beds are found in shallow waters sheltered from waves in many areas, and their roots stabilize sediments. These beds are characterized by their high productivity, and they provide protection and nourishment to many types of marine life, such as Polychaeta, mollusks, crustaceans, fish, turtles, and dugongs. These species also depend on sea grass beds as a source of food and as natural habitat for reproduction. Twelve species of sea grasses have been recorded in the Red Sea, 10 of which are in the Kingdom's waters, and 4 types of marine weeds have been recorded in the Arabian Gulf, all of which are found in the Kingdom's waters.


Biodiversity in The Kingdom

  • Plant diversity
The wild plant group in the Kingdom includes about 2,247 species that belong to 142 families and 837 genera. The rare or endangered plant species in the Kingdom is estimated at about 600 species, which is a high percentage, and the Kingdom is working to take the necessary measures to preserve them, especially considering the rapid rates of economic development, unsustainable use of lands and increasing population numbers. Through the establishment of existing and proposed protected areas included in the system plan of protected areas, the Kingdom seeks to preserve many environments and habitats of wildlife in the Kingdom.
  • Diversity of Birds
The Kingdom's lands, by virtue of its strategic geographical location between three continents, represent one of the most important pathways of bird migration from north to south and from east to west. The bird groups represent in the Kingdom belong to three origins: Ethiopian (45 species), ancient Arctic (357 species) and Asian (30 species). Thus, the total number of bird species registered in the Kingdom is (499) species. Among the most common endemic species in the kingdom is the Asir Magpie (Pica asirensis), of which there are only 100 breeding pairs left now. According to the studies conducted to identify the important areas for birds in the Kingdom, about 39 important bird areas have been identified, particularly for species threatened with extinction or globally significant populations.
  • Diversity of Terrestrial Mammals
In the Kingdom there are about 86 species of mammals, 28 species of bats, 22 species of rodents, 12 species of carnivores, and one type of primates (baboons) in addition to 4 species of angulates, including the Arabian oryx, which is the only type of oryxes present in the kingdom. Large mammals represent important elements in ecosystems, as their condition indicates the safety of the ecosystem in which they are found. In recent years, large mammals in the Kingdom have been subjected to great pressures, and some of them have gone extinct from the wild, and others have become threatened or rare, as the Arabian leopard is currently threatened with extinction as its numbers in the wild are currently estimated at no more than 150 Arabian leopards. Large groups of Arabian Oryx roamed the Arabian Peninsula, and their numbers due to overhunting and their ecological habitats began to decline during the nineteenth century. Thanks to the Kingdom's efforts in the field of captive breeding and reintroduction, these animals have been returned to live in the wild within some protected areas. The establishment of reserves in several places in the Kingdom also contributed to the proliferation of some endangered animals, especially oryx, gazelles, Ibex, ostriches, and others.
  • Diversity of Marine Mammals
Sixteen species of marine mammals have been recorded in the Saudi territorial waters in the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf, where there is one species from the order of Sirenia (dugong), which are found in large numbers concentrated in some sites of the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea. As for the order of Cetaceans, which includes whales (toothed and baleen whales), dolphins, and porpoises there are six species of whales, which are the Sperm whale, the Killer whale, the Mink whale, the Bryde's whale, the Fin whale and the Humpback whale, and there are also nine species of dolphins recorded in Saudi territorial waters which are the Bottle-nosed dolphin and the Rough-toothed dolphin, the Humpback dolphin, the Common dolphin, the Striped dolphin, the Spinner dolphin, the Pantropical spotted dolphin, the Risso's dolphin, and the Indo-pacific bottlenose dolphin.
  • Diversity of Reptiles and Amphibians
A number of 107 species of reptiles and 7 amphibian species were recorded in the Kingdom. Reptiles include 44 species of lizards and 55 species of snakes and 7 species of turtles, where 5 types of marine turtles were recorded in the territorial marine waters of the Kingdom; they are as follows: Green turtle, Hawksbill turtle, Loggerhead turtle, Olive Ridley turtle, Leatherback turtle, and these five species are listed in Annex I of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. To preserve these important species at the national and regional level, the Kingdom signed on 2005 a memorandum of understanding on the protection and management of sea turtles and their habitats in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia. As for Amphibians, there are 7 species belonging to the family of frogs (Bufonidae), all of which need to be preserved. Amphibians are used as indicators that prove the integrity of an ecosystem. Amphibians and reptiles also have an environmental role in controlling the number of pests.
  • Diversity of Fish
An approximate number of 1280 of species of fish were recorded in the Red Sea waters, and about 542 species in the Arabian Gulf. 44 species of sharks have been recorded in the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf. The number of commercial fish species reaches 180 in the Red Sea and 110 in the Arabian Gulf. Overfishing has led to the endangerment of at least three species, increased global demand for butterfly and angel fish is threatening these species, sharks are also under pressure to trade. The fresh inland water environment contains seven species of freshwater fish, of which five are endemic.
  • Diversity of Marine Invertebrates
Marine invertebrates represent the largest of wildlife group in terms of diversity and abundance in the Kingdom, and they still need many intensive studies as the available information about them is limited. Some of these animals are microscopic and some are visible, some of them are covered with shells, such as clams and snails, and some of them cover their bodies with a thick hard crust, such as: crabs, and some have thick skin that protects them, such as: Polychaeta. Marine invertebrates can be divided into the group of Porifera, such as sponges, a group of Mollusks, such as snails and shellfish, and a group of Echinoderm, such as Starfish and Sea urchins.

Protected Areas
Measures to preserve biodiversity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have diversified to include all measures to preserve its elements and components in their own natural habitats and to work on developing it in a manner that ensures its continuity and sustainability for future generations. The Kingdom sought assistance in conducting the necessary biological and social studies and surveys to prepare its protected areas national system with the expertise of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Experts from the Union and the NCWCD in 1991 prepared a document “A national system for conserving wildlife and sustainable rural development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” based on which the declared network of protected areas was established till the time being. The system, which was recently updated according to environmental developments, includes a proposal to preserve 75 areas (including 62 terrestrial areas, 13 coastal and marine areas).
  • To view the protected areas managed by the National Center for Wildlife, click here.
  • For information on resettlement, click here.

Environmental legislations for Preserving Wildlife

The Kingdom has given great attention and importance to the wildlife initiatives and projects related to the environment by issuing regulations that preserve protected areas of wildlife and plant life aimed at controlling the trade and hunting of endangered wild animals and birds used for production purposes. The following are some of the regulations and legislations to preserve wildlife in the Kingdom:


Research studies on Wildlife

The Kingdom believes in the importance of marine life and has adopted strategies and policies to limit any interference in the marine system. This has become possible through the adoption of the National Strategy for Preserving the Kingdoms Biodiversity, established in 2005, which aims to ensure the preservation and development of biological diversity by studying the current status of biological diversity, the threats faced, and the means to preserve and develop it. It has also expressed an interest in assisting with plans to research the current state of biodiversity, threats to it, and ways to preserve and develop it.


Environmental Challenges in the Kingdom

Saudi Arabia faces a number of environmental challenges, the most significant of which are: contaminated well water, cement plant waste, increased sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emission, land degradation and desertification, and others that may result in increased pollution and environmental risks. These challenges are brought on by continuous population growth, rapid urbanization, increased demand for water and energy, as well as economic development requirements.

International efforts and initiatives to protect the environment

Saudi Arabia plays a leading role in reducing the effects of climate change and carbon emissions. Given its abundant resources and experience managing global energy stability, the Kingdom is well positioned to usher in a new era of climate action and significantly contribute to global efforts to reduce carbon emissions. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is proud to sign several international initiatives demonstrating that climate action knows no borders, the most prominent of which are:
  • PARTNERING WITH THE GLOBAL OCEAN ALLIANCE TO PROTECT OUR OCEANS: In October 2021 His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, announced that Saudi Arabia was joining the Global Ocean Alliance, an international organization dedicated to ocean conservation. A core goal of the Alliance is safeguarding at least 30% of the world's oceans by 2030 through marine protected areas. His Royal Highness also announced the establishment of the Ocean Exploration Foundation, which will be responsible for conducting research and exploration of the world's oceans. These initiatives are part of Saudi Arabia’s larger goal of being a leader in marine conservation.
  • CUT METHANE EMISSIONS: Reducing methane emissions is critical to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Saudi Arabia is committed to contributing to cutting global methane emissions by 30% by 2030 as part of its ambition to deliver a cleaner, greener future. The Global Methane Pledge is an important step in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the Kingdom is proud to be a part of it.
  • GUIDING AND SUPPORTING GLOBAL SPORTS ACTORS: To amplify climate-positive collaboration across the international sporting community, Saudi Arabia has joined the UN Sports for Climate Action Initiative. By contributing to this UNFCCC climate action initiative, Saudi Arabia is demonstrating how global climate goals can be achieved through whole-of-society action, a goal enshrined in the framework put in place as part of Saudi Green Initiative.
  • SAUDI GREEN INITIATIVE: A whole-of-society initiative that empowers all stakeholders in Saudi Arabia to create and innovate to deliver a green future.
  • ABOUT MIDDLE EAST GREEN INITIATIVE: An initiative working to scale up regional climate action through cooperation and investment, bringing the region together to collectively contribute towards achieving global climate goals.

Local campaigns and projects to preserve the environment

  • Green Riyadh Project: In line with the Saudi Green Initiative, the Royal Commission for Riyadh City launched the Green Riyadh Project, one of the most ambitious afforestation projects in the world. It includes the planting of more than 7.5 million trees throughout the city of Riyadh, which contributes to improving air quality, reducing temperatures in the city, and encouraging residents to practice a more active lifestyle in line with the goals and directions of Saudi Vision 2030.
  • Environment Week: A national environmental event approved by the Council of Ministers that aims to raise community environmental awareness, achieve environmental sustainability, preserve natural resources, and reduce pollution of all kinds. Many events, programs, and initiatives are held throughout the Kingdom with the participation of individuals and the governmental, private, and non-profit sectors.

Vegetation & Combating Desertification

The agricultural sector in the Kingdom is facing a number of challenges, either due to natural causes or human activities, resulting in low soil fertility and high desertification. The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification was established in accordance with the Kingdom's Vision 2030 to promote sustainable development in its economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Its mission is to overcome environmental challenges affecting vegetation cover, restore biodiversity, and capitalize on available opportunities.

Reducing Soil Pollution 

Because soil is so important to plant growth and the health of its consumers and the organisms that live in it, the Kingdom has helped to reduce its pollution by establishing the Soil Quality Department, which is affiliated to the National Center of Meteorology and is in charge of several tasks, including supervising and following up on soil quality monitoring and control programs, conducting environmental surveys of soil pollutants and preparing the necessary database, implementing the provisions and obligations contained in regional and international agreements on soil pollution and conservation, reviewing and auditing engineering designs for landfills, rehabilitation of techniques for waste treatment and disposal, issuance of periodic reports related to soil quality, and others.
  • To view the Executive Regulations for the Prevention and Treatment of Soil Pollution, please visit this page.

Reducing Water Pollution 

Water is one of the most important pillars of economic and social development, as it is essential for meeting human needs, managing the environment and ensuring the sustainability of economic development. Despite the importance of water, Saudi Arabia faces significant challenges owing to the unsustainable use of water resources, as well as limited stocks of non-renewable groundwater, which are experiencing accelerated depletion. Under arid climatic conditions, renewable water is scarce, and high-water demand in the agricultural sector is exacerbating the problem of water scarcity in the Kingdom. Water and sanitation in the urban sector represent a high cost to the State, service levels require improved quality, and the sector requires improved institutional conditions and governance mechanisms. The work contains several elements, including involvement of stakeholders and assessment of the current state of the sector across a range of dimensions, such as demand for water, water resources, sector operations and enabling factors, and identifies the nature and magnitude of the gaps between supply and demand, as well as the economies of the sector under different scenarios.
  • To view the National Water Strategy 2030, press here.

Reducing Air Pollution 

Protecting the environment of the surrounding air is one of the main tasks and duties of the General Authority for Meteorology and Environmental Protection which seeks to establish and follow up the application of standards related to air quality. This comes within the framework of the Basic Law of Governance and the ruling regime that emphasizes on the health of human beings and the protection of the environment. As everywhere else, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is facing difficult challenges in environmental action, which requires more effort and coordination regionally and internationally. Moreover, the environmental pollution resulting from industrial development is a primary source that adversely affects human health through poisoning due to air and water pollution, some foodstuffs, or directly affecting the body's vital functions. In some cases, the effect might reach the origin of hereditary disorders.  Moreover, the main objective of Air Quality Management that is a part of The General Authority for Meteorology and Environmental Protection is to study and evaluate the air quality in Saudi Arabia, study the status of the air environment in Saudi Arabia, and determine the most polluted areas and draw up the necessary plans and solutions to reduce this pollution and the various methods used to reduce pollution rates in the future. 
  • To view the Air Quality Index of the different regions of The Kingdom, press here.

The Kingdom’s Climate

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's climate can be characterized as a semi-arid to arid desert environment with hot days and cold nights. Its annual precipitation levels have severely decreased with the exception of the Asir region, located in the Southwestern area of the Kingdom, which receives an average precipitation level of about 300mm annually.
The ranges of maximum temperature levels across the Kingdom’s seasons are as follows:
  • 20° – 30° degrees Celsius during the Winter season, from December to February.
  • 30° – 40° degrees Celsius during the Spring season, from March to May.
  • 35° – 45° degrees Celsius during the Summer season, from June to August.
  • 25° – 35° degrees Celsius during the Autumn season, from September to November.


Climate Change

Climate change, a shift in the earth’s weather patterns and average temperatures, is the main contributing factor to rising global temperatures, resulting in major and noticeable changes to the climate. The leading factor to these changes is human activity. Since the Industrial revolution in the 1800’s, the world has experienced an increase in worldwide temperatures due to the burning of fossil fuels and how humans choose to use the land around them, which leads to agriculture, deforestation, forest fires, and greenhouse gas emission, to name a few.
Saudi Arabia is vulnerable to climate change since the majority of its ecosystems are sensitive, its renewable water sources are scarce, and the Kingdom is highly dependent on fossil fuel exports. Here, you will become familiarized with climate change within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and how the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 is looking to tackle these risks by understanding the main contributing factors to climate change and what measures are being taken, through on-going development and sustainable solutions. For more details click here.

Climate Forecast

While short-term forecasts provide accurate weather information, seasonal forecasts provide key weather predictions, indicating if the forecast will be warmer or colder, drier or wetter than usual, this information differs from monthly to seasonal predications. Numerical models are used for these predications to stimulate interactions between the atmosphere and a variety of slow changing elements related to the climate, such as oceans, glaciers, and water in soil and snow.
Sea surface temperatures are one of the most important factors affecting weather variables on a seasonal basis. The seasonal forecast provides useful information for various sections including, public health, disaster preparation, water management, energy and agriculture. Additionally, a seasonal climate report, which is a report that highlights the current and expected climate situations during each season of the year in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and this can be determined by analyzing climate data such as pressure, weather, wind speed, temperature levels, and precipitation rates over a period of time exceeding thirty years. For more details click here.

Drought Monitoring

Droughts are extended periods of months and years when an area suffers a shortage of water supply. This generally occurs when an area is receiving less than average levels of precipitation, having a major impact on the ecosystem and agriculture in the affected area. Although droughts can last for several years, both severe and short-term droughts can cause extensive damage to the local economy.
  • For more information about the different types of drought, click here.

Climate Control

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is committed to reducing the emission of greenhouse gases while simultaneously adapting to the negative effects of climate change. Carried out through the development of integrated and comprehensive energy-saving systems, the Kingdom is working to obtain a level of climate control sufficiency through continuous energy saving programs while also launching several projects aimed at increasing renewable energy production. Certifying the safety and security of energy sources ensures that the basic needs of the global economy are met.
For more details click here.

Meteorological Services

  • Local Weather Forecasts: Weather forecasts provide individuals with daily and weekly weather forecasts, as well as marine forecasts, to keep the public informed about weather conditions and help reduce weather-related losses, thereby enhancing societal benefits such as protecting life, property, public health, and safety, as well as supporting economic prosperity and enhancing quality of life.
  • Holy Regions Weather Forecasts: Daily weather forecasts are provided for the Holy regions where Hajj and Umrah rituals are performed, including Jeddah, Makkah, and Al-Madinah. These forecasts also include the upcoming weather conditions, such as wind speed and direction, humidity levels, highest and lowest temperature levels, and sky predictions (rain, sun, cloudiness, etc.).
  • Integrated Radar Imaging System (IRIS): Radar maps ais a type of technology that enables users to track weather conditions in real time. The interactive map consists of color patterns that represent the location and current weather conditions to warm individuals of severe storms and climate hazards.
  • Infrared (IR) Satellite: IR Satellite is an imagery temperature map that detects heat energy in the infrared spectrum, which is energy that is invisible to the human eye. Objects representing clouds, water and land surfaces are displayed. Each object is given a color, indicating how cold or hot that particular area is.
  • Automated Early Warning System: Automatic early warning service is provided by the National Center of Meteorology. By providing the time and location, it intends to transmit air traffic control alerts, such as those for severe rain and tornadoes, to the intended audience. Visitors of this page can check a map of the Kingdom to learn more about alert cases and the weather. Each of the four colors on the map—green, yellow, orange, and red—denotes a different warning stage. Furthermore, based on data from the National Center of Meteorology, the Civil Defense sends weather warning text messages to citizens and residents based on their geographic location. Besides that, the National Center of Meteorology continuously sends out weather forecasts and warnings via its Twitter account.

Waste Recycling

Waste is all materials that are discarded or disposed of, and which directly or negatively affect public health or the environment، such as construction and demolition waste, municipal solid waste, agricultural waste, industrial and medical waste, sewage waste, hazardous waste, and special waste (electronic, tires, damaged cars, batteries), and does not include radioactive and nuclear waste. as for "Waste reduction" it is the reduction of waste production or at the very least the minimization of the amount of waste produced.
  • To view the draft waste management project, click here.


The Concept of Waste Recycling and Remediation

Recycling is the process of converting certain components of waste into usable materials in order to retrieve them as primary raw materials in manufacturing processes. Remediation is the use of physical, biological, or chemical means to alter the characteristics of wastes, in order to reduce their volume or facilitate their handling when reused, or to remove organic and other pollutants in order to reduce or eliminate the potential for causing harm to humans or the natural environment from soil, groundwater or air. The Kingdom's Vision 2030 includes an ambitious plan for the future of the Kingdom, which includes protecting the environment and developing the concept of waste management through what is known as the circular economy. Rather than using a resource only once, as is the practice in many advanced societies, the circular economy aims to reuse the same resource. This reduces greenhouse gas emissions and saves cost. For the first time in its history, Saudi Aramco used recycled plastic to build a road along a highway owned by the company. Recycled plastic has the ability to increase the strength of the asphalt concrete mixture after adding it and reduces the amount of bitumen used in the asphalt mixture by 10%, making it an economical option.  The use of plastic also improves the hardness and durability of the asphalt mixture, and the overall efficiency of asphalt pavement, making it a sustainable and environmentally friendly option. With plastic waste being a real problem for the environment, plastic road technology contributes to a circular economy by reducing waste and enhancing the continuity of used plastic.

Solid Waste Management

The Kingdom is always looking for sustainable solutions to manage waste and convert it into valuable resources. It has created solutions for comprehensive treatment of municipal solid waste, including material recovery facilities that allow for the possibility of sorting and extracting recyclable materials, in addition to composting processes in which organic waste is converted into nutrient-rich compost. Waste that cannot be treated is transformed into an energy source. It has also created systems to recycle construction and demolition waste to divert it from landfills and empty lands around our cities while extracting high-quality rubble for construction projects throughout the Kingdom.
  • To view the Law of Management of Municipal Solid Waste, click here.
  • For an environmental rehabilitation certificate in the field of Solid Waste management, click here.


Hazardous Waste Management

Hazardous waste is waste from industrial or non-industrial activities that contains toxic substances, flammable or reactive substances, corrosive substances, solvents, degreasers, oils, colorants (inks), pasty deposits, acids and alkalis, or industrial substances that the National Center for Waste Management may classify as hazardous waste. The Kingdom invests in the treatment and recovery of materials such as Tires and electronics to turn them into valuable resources for the manufacture of new products, as these types of waste can cause severe pollution and usually require a special method of handling and disposal due to their biological and chemical properties.
  • For an environmental rehabilitation certificate in the field of Industrial Hazardous Waste management, click here.
  • For an environmental rehabilitation certificate in the field of Asbestos Waste management, click here.
  • For an environmental rehabilitation certificate in the field of Used Oil management, click here.

Medical Waste Management

Medical waste is waste generated by medical entities, both inside and outside hospitals, including blood, body fluids, medical instruments, and waste medication. In order to obtain an environmental qualification certificate in the field of medical waste management, an online application must be submitted, a form must be filled out, the general and special requirements must be highlighted according to the activities practiced in accordance with relevant conditions.
  • For an environmental rehabilitation certificate in the field of medical waste management, click here.


A Glimpse into the future of the waste management sector in the Kingdom

Targets for the waste management sector in the Kingdom by 2035

Objective Target
Total diverion rate from landfill 82%
Recycling  42%
Compost  35%
Incineration  19%
Others 4%

Estimating the economic impact by the year 2035

Estimating the social impact by the year 2035


Saudi Electricity Company's Initiative to Recycle Waste

The Saudi Electricity Company relies in the production of electrical energy on various  sources of non-renewable energy, materials and natural  resources, as the increase in  demand for electricity means an increase in the depletion of these resources, an increase in pollution resulting from burning fuel, and the circulation of various types of oils, in addition to generating waste from various operations of the company, which makes us face a great challenge that must double efforts and responsibility towards protecting the environment.  In this context, the company has prepared and published its environmental policy with the aim of preserving the environment and public health and supporting sustainable development while adhering to national and international environmental standards.  It formed a technical team representing all the company's activities and developed an ambitious implementation plan that includes goals, objectives, time programs, tasks, and responsibilities to activate this policy and translate it into reality.
  • To see the results of this initiative, click here.


Renewable Energy

The National Renewable Energy Program in the Kingdom

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has launched a comprehensive national development strategy to support the diversification of energy sources to achieve the goal of reaching (3.45) gigawatts of renewable energy by 2020, (9.5) gigawatts by 2030, and (54) gigawatts by 2040. The Kingdom is also working towards reviewing the legal and regulatory framework in private sector investment in renewable energy sources, localize the industry by encouraging partnerships between the public and private sectors, and ensure the competitiveness of renewable energy by gradually liberalizing the hydrocarbon market.

The Kingdom's Efforts in Renewable Energy

  1. The Kingdom joins the International Solar Energy Alliance.
  2. Signing an agreement with a soft bank of 200 gigawatts at the cost of $ 200 billion.
  3. Announcing the Kingdom's 2030 plan to build a sustainable solar energy sector.
  4. Establishing the Renewable Energy Projects Development Office at the Ministry of Energy.
  5. Attract foreign capital to contribute to building this sector.
  6. Connecting medium and small solar energy projects to the Saudi electricity grid.
  7. Finding training institutes to rehabilitate Saudi youth.
  8. Providing jobs for citizens in the field of renewable energy.
  9. Establishing a local renewable energy industry.
  10. Supporting local renewable energy research centers.


Important Links

Related Links