This link has been bookmarked by 1 people . It was first bookmarked on 12 May 2008, by Omar El-Batawi.
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30 May 12
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The European companies were contracted by the previous government headed by Prime Minister Atef Ebeid to replace the traditional local garbage collector or zabal. The zabal collected garbage at the doorstep of every household for a small fee, and transported garbage on a donkey-pulled cart to Cairo's large rubbish heaps on Moqattam Hills. The garbage would then be sorted manually either for recycling, reuse or resale.
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Ebeid decided to scrap this tradition and replace it with a group of foreign companies from Spain, Italy and the UK who would charge every household according to electricity consumption. These companies transport the garbage in large sealed trucks, but instead of sorting the waste and recycling it they either burn it and release harmful emissions into the already polluted Cairo skies, or dispose of it in landfills.
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The electricity company was charged with collecting the garbage collection fee along with the monthly electricity bill, which infuriated residents because the garbage collection fee was calculated according to their electricity consumption. Many civil society organisations and residents were up in arms, with some winning lawsuits against the state since it is unconstitutional to charge citizens for one service based on another. In response, the government went to parliament and amended the laws, bringing garbage collection under the control of the state and legalising the new payment method
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According to a study conducted by PCPC, 80 per cent of Giza residents stopped paying the extra charge.
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PCPC head Mohamed El-Ashqar
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In a dramatic scene, protesters carried bags of garbage and marched from Giza square to the headquarters of Giza Governorate, where they dumped the contents of their bags
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According to the PCPC head, the entire garbage collecting scheme reeks of corruption since he believes there is "absolutely no need" to bring in foreign companies to collect garbage in Egypt.
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El-Ashqar added that contracts are biased towards the foreign companies which incur no penalties if they don't collect the garbage, as is the case currently.
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When world-renowned movie director Youssef Chahin was recently asked whether it was a good idea for Egypt to develop a nuclear programme, he sardonically responded: "We can't even pick up our own garbage." Whether foreign companies stay on the job or the zabal returns to people's doorsteps, almost all Egyptians share Chahin's cynicism about the uncollected garbage heaps on the streets
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