Waste Management: Casablanca Counts on Arma for Cleaner Streets
Casablanca is embarking on a new initiative to enhance the maintenance of its neighborhoods. According to Al Ahdath Al Maghribia, the metropolis has restructured its waste collection and public space cleaning operations for the period 2026-2033, with a clear priority: to make the city cleaner and improve the services offered to residents.
The municipal council has decided in favor of three new operators out of the four planned lots. However, one sector remains without an assigner for now due to a lack of financial offers that met the specifications outlined in the tender document.
Arma Strengthens Its Presence in the City
According to Al Ahdath Al Maghribia, the Arma group is the significant winner of this initiative. The company has secured two of the four zones open for competition, reflecting its ability to meet the new requirements established by the municipality—requirements that several competing companies could not fulfill.
Arma will be responsible for waste collection and cleaning in the districts of Anfa, El Fida, and Mers Sultan. This area alone accounts for about 35% of the total budget allocated for the city’s cleanliness, thus entrusting the company with one of the largest cleanliness projects in the metropolis. The group will also manage the sector encompassing Aïn Chock and Hay Hassani.
The company SOS inherits the lot comprising Aïn Sebaâ, Hay Mohammadi, Sidi Bernoussi, and Sidi Moumen. These are densely populated neighborhoods where the needs for waste collection and cleaning are particularly high.
The area that includes Sidi Othmane, Moulay Rachid, Ben M’Sik, and Sbata remains pending assignment; the bids submitted by the candidates did not meet the municipality’s expected costs.
A Stricter Tender Document
This new call for bids is not simply a change of operators. The municipality has raised its requirements across the entire service, as reported by Al Ahdath Al Maghribia. It now demands more personnel on the ground, additional equipment, more frequent cleaning rounds, and stricter quality control of services.
In practical terms, the future system includes a reinforced fleet of collection trucks, increased resources for manual and machine sweeping, and higher cleanliness standards on major thoroughfares, in markets, and in the most populated neighborhoods. The goal is to act where residents expect tangible results.
A Costlier Quality
This improvement certainly comes at a price. The city aimed to keep its annual cleanliness budget between 1.2 and 1.3 billion dirhams. However, according to Al Ahdath Al Maghribia, the selected bids exceed this ceiling for the entire contract duration. This increase is attributed to the higher investments required from companies to meet the set objectives.
Furthermore, the competition saw several significant candidates drop out of the race. The company Averda was eliminated during the administrative phase due to certain required financial documents being out of order. The Chinese group JSYH also failed to pass the technical evaluation stage.
The Challenge of Satisfying Casablancans
Cleanliness has long been one of the major concerns for the residents of the metropolis. Through this reform, the city hopes to provide a sustainable and visible response to these expectations.
The goal remains straightforward: better-maintained neighborhoods, streets free of waste, and satisfied citizens with the services rendered. By relying on experienced operators like Arma and enforcing stricter regulations, Casablanca aims to turn cleanliness into a true strength rather than a source of discontent.
