Erbil: On April 14, 2019, The Erbil Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in cooperation and coordination with the Japanese government and the United Nations Development Program held a conference on the treatment of solid waste in the Kurdistan Region, attended by  Norouz Mouloud, Minister of Municipalities and Tourism and Mr. Dr. Dara Jalil Khayat the President of the Erbil, and a large number of professionals and experts of in the field of Environment and waste treatment. In a speech, the minister said that the ministry has contracted with 29 private companies to remove wastes for 12 billion dinars. These companies raise 7500 tons of waste per day. There are also two recycling centers in the region one in Akre and the other in Duhok province. The Ministry hopes to expand these centers to include all the cities of the Kurdistan Region. For his part, the President of the Chamber said that there is an overlap between waste and natural resources that may affect the environment and water and the health of the citizen. So, there should be awareness programs for citizens to urge the community to preserve the environment and maintain the cleanliness of cities.