In a press conference on 20 April the internationally recognised NGO, Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation (HEPCA), which specialises in marine and land conservation and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)-advocate Vodafone launched their solid waste management project in Hurghada.

The capital of the Red Sea governorate is home to a population of just over 250,000 and produces 300 tons of waste every single day - not an easy amount of garbage to handle.

Towards the end of 2009, the cleanliness of Hurghada’s streets deteriorated to an alarming level, with garbage piling up round every corner. “Something needed to be done” commented Amr Ali, HEPCA managing director.

In February 2010, HEPCA launched the Hadaba cleanup campaign, a drill before going full throttle and taking over the whole city. The campaign was two-fold: to put an effective waste disposal system in place, as well as, drive awareness among the district’s inhabitants. In just 26 days, little over 80 tons of waste had been collected and disposed of.

“After our success in the Hadada district, winning the bid for the solid waste management in Hurghada was easy. However, executing it proved otherwise” Ali added “HEPCA lacked the financial muscle.” And that is where Vodafone steps in.

“We here at Vodafone are big believers in CSR and we are determined to serve the community in more than just business” commented Noha Saad, Vodafone CSR and Foundation Senior Manager. Vodafone supplied the much-needed equipment for the project.

HEPCA and Vodafone say they are looking forward to turning the solid waste management project in Hurghada into a success story that could be reapplied elsewhere in the Red Sea, if not in the rest of Egypt.