Previous Issues

Kuwait has been witnessing an unprecedented economic growth since it began exporting oil three decades ago, in particular, since 1973. This growth was accompanied by a large increase in population primarily through an influx of immigrants to meet labour needs. As a consequence, Kuwait has experienced a rate urbanization which is believed to be one the highest in the world, e. g , about 90 percent. This has meant an increase in the demand for public services, including the demand for refuse collection. And the existing municipal apparatus has been caught off-guard. The piling of litter and garbage everywhere has been evident and the problem of refuse collection has been receiving increasing attention and publicity. The municipality , thus far, has been trying to cope with providing this service with little concern for the economic efficiency of performance . In fact, one cannot find any economic studies of refuse collection and disposal in Kuwait except, perhaps, studies undertaken by foreign consulting firms whose primary objective was aimed at reorganizing the administrative activity of this service.