Saudi Arabia launches digital waste platform EOI, targeting 90% landfill diversion by 2040

SAUDI ARABIA – Saudi Arabia’s National Centre for Waste Management (MWAN) has launched the Expression of Interest (EOI) phase for a national digital platform to manage waste across the Kingdom, under an 11-year DBFOMT model that will deploy seven core business applications with 27 functional modules for electronic waste tracking, regulatory reporting, and smart contracts.

The project, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Water & Agriculture, the Environment Fund, and the National Centre for Privatisation & PPP, aims to support the waste management ecosystem at all stages.

The platform will enable centralised data collection, reporting, analytics, compliance monitoring, and stakeholder integration across the entire waste management value chain.

The 2040 Targets

Saudi Arabia has set ambitious waste diversion targets as part of its Vision 2030 circular economy agenda.

By 2040, the Kingdom aims to divert 90 percent of all waste streams away from landfills, with specific targets of 40 percent recycling, 31 percent composting, and 16 percent waste-to-energy conversion.

Achieving these targets requires a complete transformation of waste management infrastructure, from collection to processing to market development for secondary raw materials.

A digital platform capable of tracking waste electronically (e-manifest), managing licensing, and providing real-time data analytics is not an add-on, it is a prerequisite for hitting these numbers.

Without accurate data on waste volumes, types, and flows, regulators cannot verify compliance, investors cannot assess market opportunities, and recyclers cannot plan capacity.

What the Platform Will Do

The platform will support user and stakeholder management, customer classification, licensing systems, electronic waste tracking (e-manifest), regulatory reporting, data analytics, marketplace functionalities, and smart contracts.

The e-manifest component is particularly significant, as it replaces paper-based tracking of hazardous and non-hazardous waste shipments with digital records that cannot be lost, forged, or delayed.

For industrial waste producers, this means streamlined compliance reporting. For transporters, it means verifiable proof of delivery. For recyclers, it means visibility into available feedstock.

A Public-Private Partnership Model

The project will be delivered under an 11-year Design, Build, Finance, Operate, Maintain and Transfer (DBFOMT) model.

This structure transfers both construction and operational risk to the private partner, with the government paying for services delivered rather than assets built. The submission deadline for EOIs is 6 May 2026.

When Data Drives Diversion

Without a digital platform, Saudi Arabia’s 90 percent diversion target is guesswork. With one, every kilogram of waste can be tracked from bin to recycler, every landfill can be monitored, and every compliance report can be verified.

The platform is not just software, it is the operating system for a circular economy.

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