70 Percent of Tehran Waste Recyclable

Whereas waste recycling can help reduce costs and slash greenhouse gas emissions, a large portion of wastes produced in Tehran are dumped or buried unsystematically, the head of Tehran's office of the Department of Environment said.

With a population of over 8.5 million, Tehran generates some 7,000 to 8,000 tons of wastes every day, which is only household waste.

“Construction wastes amount to more than 50,000 tons daily,” Mohammad Hossein Bazgir also told ISNA.

The official said about 90% of the city's wastes are disposed with no regard to regulations.

"What's worse, 70% of Tehran's wastes are actually recyclable," he added, describing waste as unused treasure.

According to official figures, close to 2 million tons of waste were recycled in Iran in the last fiscal year (March 2015-16) to produce nearly 1.3 million tons of polymers and plastic products.

Bazgir said dumping waste in landfills is "the most inefficient and unsanitary" way of waste disposal.

"Moreover, a huge bulk of garbage is disposed in the environment, alongside rivers or farmlands," he said.

One of the main landfills in Tehran is the Aradkouh Complex for Waste Processing and Disposal, located near Kahrizak just south of Tehran. Tons of solid wastes end up in the complex daily, but only a small portion is recycled.

“Part of the waste is incinerated for fuel production and a portion used for compost production. But a huge amount of it is buried untreated in the landfill, which has been in use for over 45 years and so far has received over 35 million tons of waste,” Hossein Jafari, the head of Tehran Waste Management Organization, told the Persian weekly Salamat last summer.

According to Massoumeh Ebtekar, the head of DOE, Iran produces over 8 million tons of hazardous wastes annually, which is alarming given the poor state of waste treatment plants in the country.