Benghazi – The transition to a circular economy represents one of the most prominent global trends in recent years, as it aims to reduce waste, rationalize resource consumption, and extend the life cycle of goods and products through reuse and recycling.
Experts believe that the success of this transition requires effective implementation tools, chief among them customs institutions, which control the movement of goods and materials across borders and form the first line of defense for protecting local markets and supporting sustainable development.
The Head of Legal Affairs at the Benghazi branch of the Customs Authority, Brigadier Abdullah Al-Bakoush, affirmed that customs represents the main gateway for protecting the local market and supporting the circular economy by controlling the quality of incoming and outgoing goods and applying appropriate incentives and restrictions to ensure resource sustainability and reduce waste.
In a statement to the Libyan News Agency, Brigadier Al-Bakoush said, “Customs is one of the most important tools for implementing the circular economy on the ground. It controls the movement of goods and materials across borders and has the ability to directly influence environmental, economic, and health policies.” He noted that the absence of a clear objective leaves the local market vulnerable to risks, adding, “If we do not have a goal, we become the target.”
He explained that among the most important recommendations and proposed solutions are activating strict environmental controls to prevent the import of low-quality or useless goods that quickly turn into waste, as well as tightening the monitoring of imported and exported waste to ensure compliance with international agreements and prevent the entry of materials harmful to the environment and public health.
He pointed out that necessary measures in this regard include facilitating the entry of equipment and technologies for recycling and clean energy, allowing the trade of secondary materials and reusable industrial waste under regulated controls, and encouraging the re-export of materials and products after they have been recycled.
He stressed the importance of implementing customs incentives that encourage the entry of environmentally friendly and recycled goods by reducing tariffs on them, while conversely imposing higher fees on wasteful or non-recyclable goods to limit their entry, along with supporting local industries that rely on recycling instead of depleting raw materials.
Brigadier Al-Bakoush noted that customs also plays a legislative and regulatory role, which involves participating in drafting standards for goods and materials to ensure they are recyclable and compliant with circular economy criteria, coordinating with environmental and regulatory authorities to develop policies that support a sustainable economy, and developing digital customs systems to track the cross-border movement of waste and recyclable materials.
He explained that Libya established an early legal framework for waste management. Law No. (106) of 1973 assigned responsibility for its management to municipalities, followed by Law No. (13) of 1984 on Public Hygiene, which reaffirmed the role of municipalities. This was followed by the Environmental Protection Law No. (15) of 1988, which strengthened control over solid waste.
Brigadier Al-Bakoush concluded his statement by emphasizing that the five principles of waste management—Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Recover—form the basis of modern policies. He stressed that the circular economy aims to design methods to eliminate waste and keep products and materials in use for as long as possible, and that customs, with its legislative and executive tools, is capable of being a real driver for this transformation.