Author(s)

A. R. Ramadan & Y. Sherif

Abstract

Hazardous waste (HW) management represents a central aspect of the environmental performance of industrial establishments in Egypt. In response to the need for monitoring this performance and the progress of industries in managing their HW, sets of HW indicators have been developed within the larger scope of environmental performance indicators for industry. The HW indicators address three themes: compliance to regulations, HW generation, and cleaner production. These indicators are presented together with the bases for their development. Opportunities for their use, particularly as a decision-making support tool, and challenges facing their application, are also presented. Keywords: hazardous waste management, industry, indicators, Egypt. 1 Introduction Industrial activities in Egypt have developed to constitute a significant portion of the economy, contributing 35% of the GDP. The industrial sector comprises more than 271,000 establishments, employing 25% of the workforce [1]. However, these establishments present the largest contributors to environmental pollution, particularly with regards to the generation of hazardous waste (HW) [2]. In this respect, proper management of HW presents one of the priority lines of action for the improvement of the environmental performance of industries [3]. This is addressed through different initiatives encompassing the promotion of waste minimization, cleaner production, as well as developing the capacities of industrial establishments with regards to HW management practices [4–6]. With the purpose of monitoring the progress of industries in this respect, a number of indicators have been developed. They are part of a larger set of

Keywords

hazardous waste management, industry, indicators, Egypt.