Bekia Turns Cairo’s Waste Into Rewards, Fuels Sustainable Shift in Egypt

Editorial Team

Last updated 22-04-2025

2 min

Bekia is digitising recycling in Cairo, swapping waste for rewards since 2017.

Founded by Alaa Afifi, it offers exchanges of waste for perks via app or website.

The platform empowers women to manage waste effectively, engaging over 75,000 users.

Bekia has raised $580,000 to extend services to underserved areas and promote recycling.

By partnering with schools and agencies, Bekia aims to boost sustainable practices across Egypt.

We’ve all seen those rubbish-strewn streets around Cairo, a stark reminder of the challenges of urban growth in Egypt. But an Egyptian startup called Bekia is quietly turning waste into rewards, giving recycling a fresh digital spin that aims at making eco-friendly living genuinely worthwhile.

Launched back in 2017 by entrepreneur Alaa Afifi, Bekia was born from a desire to shake things up regarding how locals handle waste. Basically, it’s an easy-to-use digital platform—accessible through their website or mobile app—that lets households and businesses exchange everything from plastics, metal and paper to electronics and even used cooking oil for some nifty perks. Fancy turning your old newspapers into mobile airtime, grocery vouchers, or perhaps using them towards your kids’ school fees? Bekia’s tech makes all that possible, conveniently arranged through geolocation to optimise logistics, meaning users don’t have to treck across the city.

Afifi particularly hopes to empower women, who traditionally take charge of domestic waste management, and encourage them to tackle environmental issues head-on. To date, Bekia has already brought more than 75,000 people on board—and gathered hundereds of tons of rubbish from across the city. Not too shabby.

They've also raised $580,000 over four solid investment rounds, helping the company to branch out. Their big-picture goal is to help underserved communities, often ignored when public waste collection doesn't quite stretch to their neighbourhoods. And, of course, promoting a culture of recycling across Egypt isn’t hurting, either.

Bekia is now expanding its connection with local schools, government agencies, and businesses to amplify its positive impact further. And if things keep moving in this direction, Arageek readers, it looks like Egypt might just be on the road to genuinely sustainable cities—one scrap of rubbish at a time.

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