Tunisia beach clean-up and waste management initiative

In early August 2026, the municipalities of Tabarka and Aïn Essobh-Nadhour launched a large-scale summer clean-up operation to address the surge of waste generated by tourists, cafés, restaurants, and hotels. Secretary-General Farid Riabi noted that existing resources could no longer keep pace with the waste, which posed decomposition and fire hazards. Local volunteers and tourists participated, though visitors highlighted a lack of sanitation facilities and requested shower installations to reduce plastic bottle use.

In response, the Tunisian Ministry of Tourism allocated 8.425 million dinars from the Tourist Zone Protection Fund to reinforce beach cleanliness and infrastructure. Minister Sofiane Tekaya announced that a 6.75 million dinar tranche would fund site development and cleaning equipment, while 1.675 million dinars would support 20 municipal tourism authorities. This funding aims to cover 60% of the mechanical beach-cleaning programme alongside ongoing hygiene and safety inspections.

By the second week of August, the Ministry of the Environment reported that nearly 6,000 m³ of waste had been collected from 152 beaches. The Rafraf beach emerged as a heavily impacted area, requiring two daily cleaning sessions to manage approximately 18 m³ of waste per day, primarily consisting of plastics, bottles, and food scraps. To support these efforts, the Coastal Protection and Development Agency (APAL), the National Waste Management Agency (ANGED), and WWF North Africa launched awareness campaigns under the slogan ‘The beach belongs to all of us: one hour is enough... let's clean it!’ to promote marine preservation through scheduled events in Gammarth, Nabeul, and Sousse.