The waste crisis is rearing its head again.. Will the scene of 2015 return?

In practice, “Lebanon 24” learned that the landfill is about to reach its peak, with the space allocated for landfilling of waste, which amounts to about 167 square meters, being filled, as it was chosen as an alternative solution to the Naameh landfill, which was closed in 2019 after 15 years of receiving waste, in order to be A primary center for receiving household waste from the districts of Baabda and Choueifat. When a solution was not reached regarding the villages of Aley and Chouf, the decision was taken to include them in the landfill plan. This accelerated the process of filling the landfill with waste, as it was impossible for the villages and towns of Chouf and Aley to continue burning waste. Which was met with field campaigns by residents due to the seriousness of this step.
According to “Lebanon 24” figures, the landfill receives approximately 5,515 tons of waste on a daily basis, and what has increased in quantity since the opening of the landfill is the large waste that is accumulating as a result of the high pace of Syrian displacement, and the concentration of large groups of them in the neighborhoods of Beirut and Choueifat, as well as within the villages of the Aley District. And the Chouf, noting that most of the mayors raised their voices loudly and stressed before the delegates of international associations that the displacement clearly and publicly contributed to the increase in the amount of waste whose transport costs millions of liras, especially in light of the difficult financial conditions that the municipalities are suffering from.
However, despite the difficulty of managing the file, and despite the large quantities of waste that enter the landfill on a daily basis, up to this moment the waste burial process is still being carried out in accordance with technical and health principles and standards.
Ministerial work has begun
At the Ministry of Environment level, Environment Minister Nasser Yassin did not miss an opportunity to present several solutions that the government is expected to discuss as soon as possible, ensuring the process of reaching a solution that prevents the disaster that the concerned authorities are warning about.
In this regard, Ministry of Environment sources indicated during a call via “Lebanon 24” that Minister Yassin held a meeting with the Parliamentary Environmental Committee, during which it was decided to take steps aimed at relieving pressure on the Costa Brava landfill, especially after the increase in the Chouf and Aley districts, and this is what It was originally requested by the Union of Suburb Municipalities.
In this context, the sources indicated that the Ministry will seek to provide special solutions for the waste of the Aley region, and the process of developing and rehabilitating the sorting plant in Al-Suwaijani will be ensured, which is expected to receive Chouf waste only, and this will significantly reduce the quantities of waste that are sent to Costa Brava landfill.
As for the sorting plant in Amrousieh, sources from the Ministry of Environment confirmed to “Lebanon 24” that communication will take place with the Council for Development and Reconstruction, as the plant’s cessation is due to a lack of funding, and therefore if funding is secured, this would also significantly reduce the quantities of waste. Which is sent to the landfill.

Waste for money
On the other hand, the municipalities did not stand idly by, even if the financial crisis affected some of them. Several projects carried out by hundreds of municipalities in cooperation with the relevant ministries contributed to reducing the burden on landfills, and this was demonstrated through many plans such as urging citizens to begin the sorting process and benefiting from their waste by selling it. This generated individual initiatives for unemployed citizens, through which they were able to open a source. New livelihood.
Ahmed is one of these young people, who decided approximately two years ago, following the accumulation of waste in his town, to take a step to reduce the burden of waste on the municipality, and benefit from the matter at the same time. He told “Lebanon 24” that he makes daily visits to the various containers and collects from them. Cartons, plastic, and everything that can be recycled… Thus, over the course of a year and a half, he was able to save his municipality more than 50% on waste transportation fees, and he was able to find his own job.
Ahmed’s insistence prompted the municipality to help him by asking citizens to sort their waste so that Ahmed could receive it for a certain price. Today, he was able to open a livelihood and provide job opportunities for three young men from his town, who began to help him on a daily basis.
The mayor of Majdalbana in Aley district, Rozba Abdel Khaleq, tried to do the same thing, but with a larger project through his intention to establish a waste factory. He told Lebanon 24 that the municipal council took the decision to establish a sorting factory that would accommodate about 25 tons of waste, noting that The amount of waste in the town reaches 7 tons in the winter and rises to 15 tons in the summer due to summering in the mountain town.
Abdul Khaleq’s project was not limited to Majdalba’na only, but if it comes to fruition, it will include a number of other villages, as the factory supervised by experts and extending over an area of ​​2000 square meters will be a sustainable solution and an important source for bringing money into the municipal treasury, by attracting the waste of neighboring towns. Reducing pressure on landfills.
However, unfortunately, the machines inside the factory have not yet been operated, despite reaching advanced stages. Financial support is missing, and the municipality alone cannot bear the cost of operation.

Projects are expanding
Throughout the Lebanese territories, many individual initiatives have emerged, a large portion of which were aimed at cleaning villages and making profits at the same time, such as one of the projects located on the outskirts of Beirut, which consists of citizens handing over recyclable waste in exchange for receiving an allowance for each kilogram according to Predetermined prices. The project owner, Pierre Baqlini, told Lebanon 24 that the aim of this matter is to save the state large amounts of money in terms of paying for landfilling of waste, and instead this money is given to citizens to benefit from the waste.
Baaklini explained that the matter was met with great positivity among citizens, and we are in the process of expanding the centers, as there is a center in the industrial city of Beirut, and in Saloumi, Jbeil, and Bouchrieh Dam.
Baaklini confirmed that in just two years, two centers were able to sort approximately 800 tons, coming from 40,000 citizens who went to the center.
Regarding prices, Baaklini confirmed that the matter differs between paper, cardboard, iron, and plastic. The cleaner the sorting process, the higher the prices, and this is what contributed to teaching citizens the method of sorting in a correct and sustainable manner.