Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraq’s National Investment Commission (NIC), in coordination with the Ministry of Environment and the Spanish Embassy in Baghdad, officially launched the country’s first smart automated pneumatic waste collection system (URD) on Saturday, September 26, 2026, marking a pivotal milestone in the modernization of municipal sanitation and sustainable urban management.
The initiative introduces advanced underground vacuum collection networks designed to eliminate conventional curbside dumpsters and heavy collection vehicular traffic across newly planned smart cities and licensed residential investment developments.
Speaking at the launch conference attended by an Iraqi News Agency (INA) correspondent, NIC Deputy Chairman Salar Mohammed Amin affirmed that the adoption of the URD pneumatic network represents a comprehensive national initiative requiring deep cross-institutional synergy between public ministries, municipal directorates, and private developers.
Amin emphasized that sustainable investment must transcend structural brick-and-mortar construction to create integrated, livable urban ecosystems that elevate daily public health and quality of life.
Spanish Ambassador to Iraq Alicia Rico Pérez del Pulgar underscored that the rollout of the pneumatic vacuum infrastructure represents a substantial qualitative leap toward modernizing waste management practices through cleaner, more energy-efficient technologies.