Shafaq News – Baghdad

Baghdad residents are voicing anger over mounting garbage in their neighborhoods, blaming repeated delays in municipal waste collection that stretch from a week to more than ten days—and in some cases, up to a month during religious events.

Residents told Shafaq News that the delays force trash to overflow from containers into the streets, creating makeshift dumping grounds. “The stench, mosquitoes, and rodents have become unbearable,” said Farah Ahmed, a 36-year-old resident of al-Jihad district, recalling how trucks disappeared for more than 40 days during the recent Arbaeen Pilgrimage.

In response, many households have turned to private contractors who charge about 10,000 dinars ($7.60) a month per home for daily or near-daily collection. “Private trucks are a lifeline,” said Wijdan al-Saadi, 55, from al-Turath, who described the service as far more reliable than the municipality’s.

Baghdad alone generates between 8,000 and 10,000 tons of waste daily, with each person producing up to 1.25 kg, according to official figures. Much of it is still dumped in unsanitary landfills, a strain that has opened the door for a booming “garbage economy,” with ads for waste trucks appearing on social media and drivers earning millions of dinars monthly from subscriptions.

Municipal officials, however, insist services are continuous. “Baghdad operates four shifts a day, six hours each, to keep the city clean,” said spokesman Uday al-Jundeel. He stressed that collection is supposed to be free, and urged citizens to report illegal charges through the “Citizen’s Voice” app.

The municipality has also contracted a Chinese company to build a waste-to-energy facility capable of processing 3,000 tons daily and generating about 100 MW of electricity, part of a broader effort to modernize the city’s overburdened waste system.