Qatar is rapidly expanding its recycling and resource-recovery infrastructure as it shifts towards a more circular economy, with millions of tonnes of construction waste now being recycled and reused in public projects instead of being sent for disposal.
According to Ministry of Municipality data, more than 3mn tonnes of recycled construction materials had been produced by October 2025 and put to use in various public construction and infrastructure projects. Using recycled materials helps reduce construction input costs, maximise available resources, and limit the depletion of natural materials.
The figures, highlighted in the ministry’s latest awareness campaign, also point to the growth of Qatar’s recycling industry. In 2025, 51 recycling factories and projects were identified, including 25 operational facilities, 21 under construction and five plots allocated for future recycling plants. The facilities cover a wide range of materials, including construction and demolition waste, plastics, metals, paper and tyres.
The expansion forms part of Qatar’s broader drive towards a circular economy, in which waste is treated as a resource that can be recovered, recycled and reused rather than disposed of.
The Al Afja recycling area, near Mesaieed Industrial Area, has been developed as a dedicated hub for recycling industries, with government policies increasingly encouraging private-sector investment and creating markets for recovered materials. The site is designed to accommodate recycling activities involving construction waste, plastics, metals, tyres, wood and other materials.
The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) reported recycling 5,571,008 tonnes of construction materials in 2025, an overall recycling rate of 63% — more than twice its 30% target. This included 49,987 tonnes of reclaimed asphalt pavement and 766,174 tonnes of excavation and demolition materials recycled for use in foundation works.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s national waste-transfer stations received 716,772 tonnes of waste in 2025, of which 700,360 tonnes were transported for treatment, recycling and recovery. During the year, the facility also issued around 27,000 electronic waste-disposal permits and carried out more than 40 sustainability and awareness initiatives.
The Domestic Solid Waste Management Centre in Mesaieed remains a key component of Qatar’s waste-management system. In 2025, the facility generated about 249,568 megawatt-hours of electricity from waste and produced more than 32,000 tonnes of organic compost.
The scale of construction-waste recovery is also demonstrated by the Qatar Primary Materials Company’s (QPMC) Rawdat Rashid operation.
Since taking over the site in 2020, the company says it has recycled more than 20mn tonnes of construction waste into materials meeting Qatari specifications. The facility handles around 14,000 tonnes of waste a day, producing recycled sand and other construction materials for use in the local market.