The city of Marrakech presented, for nearly a month, a most distressing spectacle in that all its neighbourhoods, boulevards, and alleys were collapsing under thousands of tonnes of household waste. Foul odours, microbes, filth, release of polluting products, parasites, and other disease vectors: it was the most distressing spectacle one could imagine seeing in a city supposed to constantly take care of its look. This problem not only harmed the health of citizens but also tarnished the reputation of the city as the Kingdom's leading tourist hub.
Fortunately, this ordeal and this nightmarish problem came to an end last Monday, with the official presentation of the new delegates in charge of household waste collection during a ceremony presided over by the Wali of the Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz region, Abdessalem Bikrate, in the presence of the city's deputy mayors. In the concern to keep a certain so-called standing in the Ochre City, which produces some 800 tonnes of waste per day, the City Council opted for a triple concession scheme with a view to ensuring quality service and better performance for the inhabitants. The decision to divide Marrakech into three sectors, instead of two in previous contracts, is justified, according to the elected officials, by the concern to establish "a new era in waste management".
Thus, the French group "Derichebourg" was entrusted with the delegated management of cleaning services in the Guéliz and Ennakhil districts, which have 275,000 inhabitants. With a duration of six years, the contract notably covers the collection and disposal of household and similar waste as well as the cleaning of public roads and squares. With the perspective of properly fulfilling its mission and succeeding in its first experience in Morocco in the community services sector, the group has deployed a new fleet of equipment with high technical and environmental performance, composed notably of 39 compactor trucks, 41 service vehicles and motorcycles, 2,500 bins, and 1,500 litter bins.
In this context, a toll-free number has been made available to citizens wishing to voice their grievances, it is specified by the company. It should be noted that "Derichebourg", which until now operated in service activities for companies operating in sectors such as agri-food, large-scale distribution, industry, and shopping centres, is bound by delegated management contracts to the "Morocco Mall" shopping centre in Casablanca (350 shops) and the "Carré Eden" multifunctional complex in Marrakech (60 shops).
For its part, the company "Segedema", a subsidiary of the French group Pizzorno Environnement, remains the delegated manager in the districts of the Medina and Sidi Youssef Ben Ali. Established in Morocco since 1997 and present in several cities such as Rabat, Marrakech, Meknès, Kénitra, El-Jadida, Sidi Bennour, and Témara, the company has acquired the trust of the Marrakech elected officials, which reinforced its choice following the calls for tenders launched by the City Council to charge new delegates with the management of the sector.
In a previous statement to the press, its boss had affirmed that "Segedema is particularly satisfied with its experience in Marrakech", qualifying said experience as an "example to follow".
The third delegated manager for the city's cleaning service is none other than the Moroccan company "SOS NDD".
It was announced as the winner of the contract for cleaning and collection services for household and similar waste in the Ménara district. "SOS NDD" was the first Moroccan company to launch into the activities of waste collection and disposal as well as liquid sanitation. Making the slogan "Serve better to go further" its battle cry, the company is in charge of household waste collection in several communities and urban communes, including Rabat, Salé, Safi, Kénitra, Tiflet, Skhirat, and Khémisset.
