Lebanon has been facing issues related to solid waste management for years, mostly due to the proliferation of hundreds of open dumps. In 2010 and 2013 respectively, Lebanon produced 1.6 and 2 million tons of municipal solid waste, with an estimated increase in production of around 1.7% per year.

Akkar – one of the poorest districts in Lebanon - is hosting more than 105,000 registered refugees due to the aftermath of the Syrian crisis. The massive influx has further strained the capacity of the local Unions of Municipalities to fulfil the basic services of the population. This, in turn, has prompted an increase in the adoption of open dumps and added further pressure between refugees and the locals.

In order to solve the issue, COOPI is currently leading “SWaM Akkar”, a project designed with the purpose of tackling and regulating the production and management of solid waste in the district,
The project is being developed with a consortium of actors, both for-profits and non-profits, with each of them providing a complementary role and expertise.

More remarkably, though, the consortium sets to actively involve the Union of the Municipalities of Jurd el-Kaytee (UoMJK) both in the planning and the implementation of the activities. Local communities will therefore be working on and benefitting from the project at the same time. Additionally, the Union of Municipalities will be supported through capacity building actions, the provision of equipments, investments in recycling and the rehabilitation of illegal dumpsites, alongside awareness activities targeted at the local population meant to highlight the importance of correctly managing individual waste.

Photo: Greg Demarque / Executive.com

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