In Mediouna, a neighborhood south of Casablanca, Fatima’s eight-year-old son suffers through another night of restless coughing. “All I think about is my child,” she expressed while showing worn medical records. “The doctor advised me to move, but we have nowhere to go.”
The Moroccan government has issued 416 permits for the import of European waste—ranging from clothes to industrial byproducts—burned as fuel in cement plants near Casablanca, including within 15 kilometers (9 miles) of Fatima’s home. European companies reportedly save around USD 52 million annually by shipping their waste here rather than processing it domestically. For Fatima, the reality is that her son struggles to breathe, and on certain nights, the odor pervades the area for miles.
An investigation based on exclusive data found that between September 2024 and September 2025, at least 36,611 tonnes of waste were sent from Europe to Morocco, with 93% labelled “reusable” despite declarations as low as EUR 0.10 (USD 0.11) per kilogram.
In contrast, industry prices for sorted reusable clothes range between EUR 0.50 and EUR 1.50 (USD 0.57 to USD 1.70) per kilogram. At these rates, shipments only cover sorting and transport costs.
This discrepancy indicates not only divergent markets but also different types of goods—truly reusable clothing commands higher prices, while low declared values hint at materials intended for disposal rather than resale.
The Dumping Economics
The math is quite simple. Responsible waste treatment in Europe costs approximately USD 100 (EUR 88) per tonne, whereas shipping and incinerating it in Morocco costs just USD 36 to USD 39 (EUR 32 to EUR 34). For the 821,500 tonnes Morocco imported in 2024, this price difference amounts to nearly USD 50 million (EUR 44 million) annually. This financial incentive reveals why the trade continues to grow before the EU’s plastic waste export ban takes effect on November 21, 2026.
Spain dominates EU waste shipments to Morocco, sending as much as 4.5 million kg in a single month, in stark contrast to other countries’ minimal contributions. Source: Basel Network trade records, Sep 2024–Sep 2025
The reported 36,611 tonnes of waste only accounts for the items classified under waste codes: clothing, plastics, paper, electronics. However, Morocco’s Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development notes a significantly higher total of 517,000 tonnes of ferrous metals and 200,600 tonnes of organic waste labeled as commodity scrap by European exporters—essentially bypassing the waste classification before shipment. “The longer the supply chain, the weaker the regulatory oversight,” explains Paola Ficco, an environmental lawyer and the editor of the Italian magazine Rifiuti. “Unrecorded flows are hard to trace.”
Spain handles nearly 80% of the clothing exports to Morocco—73 tonnes daily—and about two-thirds of its plastic waste.
Corporate interests are deeply involved. The French company CHIMIREC set up a subsidiary in Morocco in 2020 to produce “Energy Substitution Fuel” for cement manufacturers. However, CHIMIREC Maroc claims it only processes local waste. LafargeHolcim’s Ecoval is the main industrial waste treatment provider in the country. Ciments du Maroc, owned by Germany’s Heidelberg Materials, operates a grinding facility at Jorf Lasfar—a recognized entry point for European waste shipments. Neither LafargeHolcim nor Ciments du Maroc returned requests for comment.
The Regulatory Loophole
The Basel Convention technically prohibits wealthy nations from dumping hazardous waste onto poorer countries. However, a simple adjustment in a customs form—replacing “waste” with “secondary raw material”—allows for the regulation-free classification of a controlled substance as a commodity.
A Freedom of Information request revealed that Italy’s Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) indicated that none of its waste was officially registered as being shipped to Morocco “for disposal” between 2020 and 2023, yet acknowledged that small quantities were sent during that period for “material recovery.”
In 2023, UN Comtrade records confirmed that about 817 tonnes of Italian rubber waste entered Morocco, valued at USD 427,000. Following this, the Moroccan Ministry of Energy Transition approved the import of 20,000 tonnes solely from Italy.
Ninety-three percent of EU waste exported to Morocco is marked as “worn clothing,” with insiders estimating only 20-30% of it reaching secondhand markets. Source: Basel Network, Sep 2024–Sep 2025
This contradiction highlights the loophole: according to EU law, burning waste in cement kilns is classified as “energy recovery,” not “disposal.” Reclassifying garbage as alternative fuel or reusable materials allows European nations to legally remove millions of tonnes from their disposal records while maintaining favorable recycling statistics at home.
The Human Toll
The health implications are quietly accumulating. Surrounding communities near Moroccan cement plants face heightened risks of respiratory illnesses, cancer, and increased mortality. Research has indicated that dioxin emissions can quadruple when hazardous waste is included in the fuel mix. In Morocco, chronic exposure in cement operations has been linked to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a major cause of respiratory fatalities.
The Mediouna landfill processes 1.2 million tonnes annually and is nearing its capacity. To address the situation, the World Bank sanctioned a USD 250 million program for upgrading Morocco’s landfills, highlighting that domestic capacity is insufficient even prior to the added burden from imports.
In August 2024, after the government authorized over two million tonnes in new imports, activist Mohamed Benata from the Environmental Assembly of Northern Morocco stated that this move was “unconstitutional” and “not in the spirit of citizenship.” In 2016, similar protests had previously led to a halt in the imports of Italian waste, although that ban was later lifted.
European corporate accountability laws do not cover the consequences after waste leaves port. According to Miriam Saage-Maaß, legal director at the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, the 2024 Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive essentially ends responsibility with the transfer of goods. “Whether exporters bear any liability for the burning of waste in Moroccan facilities largely depends on their direct connection to the waste incineration process,” she adds.
Beginning November 2026, the EU will ban the export of plastic waste to non-OECD nations such as Morocco; further restrictions on non-hazardous waste are set for May 2027 unless the recipient country is on an approved list. Morocco submitted its application in February 2025. “Circularity should not be an excuse for transferring health and environmental burdens to other communities,” states Cristina Guarda, an Italian MEP from the Greens/EFA, “creating ‘sacrifice zones’ outside Europe.”
In Mediouna, Fatima remains trapped in this issue. While Europe showcases its recycling achievements, Morocco counts the jobs created. Unfortunately, she and families like hers continue to breathe in toxic fumes—from waste produced locally and imported from a continent unwilling to manage its waste responsibly.
Khalid Bencherif is an award-winning freelance journalist from Morocco residing in Berlin, specializing in environmental and political topics in North Africa. He received the Michael Elliott Award for Excellence in African Storytelling in 2022 and is currently working on “ONWAN,” an AI editor designed for Arabic journalism.
Federica Rossi is an Italian freelance journalist based in Rome. Her reporting focuses on climate change, sustainable communities, organized environmental movements, Mediterranean migration, and citizenship. She collaborates with outlets like Euronews, Voxeurop, IRPI, and La Repubblica, among others. Federica also engages in public speaking, has won the SWITCH award, and co-manages the Fada Collective network, while being part of a local independent collective and radio station in Rome.
