Solid and Liquid Waste Disposal and Environmental Law

This article systematically examines the problem of solid and liquid waste disposal in Morocco from an environmental law perspective, combining technical and legal analysis to identify the challenges posed by waste management in a rapidly expanding urban context. The author first classifies waste types precisely and describes modern treatment and elimination techniques deployed in the sanitation sector, including through specialised bodies such as SAEM. The legal analysis then focuses on the applicable normative framework, revealing gaps in Moroccan waste collection, treatment, and disposal regulation, the absence of a framework law on waste, and the inadequacy of civil and criminal liability mechanisms for environmental offences. The author advocates a major legislative reform establishing binding discharge standards, a liability regime adapted to the specificities of waste pollution, and a substantial reinforcement of the technical and financial capacities of local authorities to ensure sustainable management of urban and industrial waste.