Early in 2014, Lebanon faced a garbage crisis due to community complaints of an overfilled dump in the area of Naameh, which services the nation's capital, Beirut. The crisis was averted after an agreement was reached between the protesters and the incoming Prime Minister, Tammam Salam who confirmed that as soon as he is in power (he was sworn in that February), he will “establish an emergency committee to fix the situation as soon as possible.” Fast forward 18 months, the same Prime Minister and cabinet, having never fulfilled their promise to solve the issue, are now scampering to manage an even larger garbage crisis. Not only has Naameh been shut down again, but other regions in the country have revolted and refused to become new destinations for Beirut's garbage. While the capital's streets as well as those of neighboring regions have been contaminated with massive pile-ups of garbage, the Lebanese civil society has begun piling up it's own pressure, launching the "You Stink" campaign, in protest of the government's mishandling of the crisis. They recently began transferring some of the garbage piles to the front porches of buildings where cabinet ministers live. Several police face-offs have resulted.
The international community for its part has also registered concern. The British ambassador declared that had his country faced such a garbage crisis, the government would very likely have fallen. Meanwhile, it was being reported that his German counterpart offered Lebanon to pick up it's garbage and send it to Europe for the cost of $70 - $100 per ton of garbage, as compared to the staggering $147 per ton it was costing Lebanon under its current contracts. Under increasing pressure from all sides, the government urgently issued RFPs for new garbage collection contracts (Leaving one wondering what they had been doing for the past 18 months). But while bidders await adjudication, environmental groups and concerned citizens have begun voicing complaints and concerns that the measures being taken by the government are merely diversionary tactics, and will not get to the root of the problem.
The first complaint is that in Lebanon, the issue is now larger than just garbage; and includes the entire cycle of what happens to waste. Experts point to the fact that in developed nations only 5% of the total waste now goes to the dumps as garbage. The rest is all recycled or made into compost to be used in agriculture or even to produce energy. By simply contracting new garbage collection agencies and keeping all the old methods intact, not only would it not solve the dumps running at overcapacity, it would not optimize waste management nor will it resolve several reported environmental issues in the areas around the dumps.
The second complaint is that of existing over-capacity dumps being left in their current state with little if any environmental oversight or care--be it with respect to the radioactivity they emit, the temperature rises they cause, or the black liquid seepage that could end up in the nation's water supply. Protestors are asking whether any of these new potential contractors are equipped to handle this crucial element?
The third concern and corollary to the previous one has to do with the modern mining of trash that many nations have delved into, realizing the wealth of material that could exist in old dumps. Everything from Steel to wood to plastic can be mined, separated, and monetized. The idea here is to assure old dumping ground and the communities around them, that they will be mined, cleaned, and reduced in both toxicity as well as volume.
The fourth complaint is that the paradigm being used currently as well as those being put out for contracting are archaic. Whereas old methods included separation of materials at the source (different bins for different garbage type), modern equipment makes it easy to separate material in real time, avoiding the initial cost of separation or the need for multiple collection cycles and trucks. Instead, new technology allows the collection of garbage and its separation into recyclable material, compost, and trash. It's all done on the go. Experts in Germany say that in the long term, this is the most efficient and least expensive method. They recommend that nations who are about to deploy national waste management systems look into these as opposed to expired methods and paradigms.
The fifth concern is that of economic development. Lebanese jobs could be created from collection to processing, mining, and recycling. In talking with one trusted expert in Germany, he summarized it succinctly in one phrase: The environment is good for business. So before Lebanon decides to ship off these jobs Asia, Germany, or anywhere else, protestors are insisting that the government take a look closer to home for solutions that can involve and help the Lebanese themselves.
The last but certainly not least of complaints is that of lack of decentralization. Naturally, all Lebanese regions produce garbage and most have expressed a willingness to deal with their own waste. The primary problem is Beirut's trash, which rightfully no one wants to contaminate their backyard with. So the question is how to involve the disparate Lebanese regions so that they can share in the cost but also in the benefits that proper waste management offers.
In voicing the above complaints, protestors are presenting positive ideas that can create more harmony between the capital, Beirut and the regions, whereby the national waste management becomes fair for all, decentralized, economically viable, and above all environmentally sustainable. The German offer to collect Lebanon's garbage while appreciated should raise a question mark in the mind of Lebanese policy makers. How come one of the world's richest and advanced nations can offer to collect Lebanese garbage at HALF the cost that we have been paying all these past years, including shipping it to Europe? And what is the current government going to do IMMEDIATELY to assure that the paradigm and technology, which will be contracted for a comprehensive waste management solution will in the short, medium, and long term extract every possible efficiency yielding a clean, environmental, and rewarding process for all Lebanese regions? Protestors are awaiting the government's reply. If it comes back negatively, then in all likelihood many of these protestors will revert to asking the government to take the British ambassador's advice.
The international community for its part has also registered concern. The British ambassador declared that had his country faced such a garbage crisis, the government would very likely have fallen. Meanwhile, it was being reported that his German counterpart offered Lebanon to pick up it's garbage and send it to Europe for the cost of $70 - $100 per ton of garbage, as compared to the staggering $147 per ton it was costing Lebanon under its current contracts. Under increasing pressure from all sides, the government urgently issued RFPs for new garbage collection contracts (Leaving one wondering what they had been doing for the past 18 months). But while bidders await adjudication, environmental groups and concerned citizens have begun voicing complaints and concerns that the measures being taken by the government are merely diversionary tactics, and will not get to the root of the problem.
The first complaint is that in Lebanon, the issue is now larger than just garbage; and includes the entire cycle of what happens to waste. Experts point to the fact that in developed nations only 5% of the total waste now goes to the dumps as garbage. The rest is all recycled or made into compost to be used in agriculture or even to produce energy. By simply contracting new garbage collection agencies and keeping all the old methods intact, not only would it not solve the dumps running at overcapacity, it would not optimize waste management nor will it resolve several reported environmental issues in the areas around the dumps.
The second complaint is that of existing over-capacity dumps being left in their current state with little if any environmental oversight or care--be it with respect to the radioactivity they emit, the temperature rises they cause, or the black liquid seepage that could end up in the nation's water supply. Protestors are asking whether any of these new potential contractors are equipped to handle this crucial element?
The third concern and corollary to the previous one has to do with the modern mining of trash that many nations have delved into, realizing the wealth of material that could exist in old dumps. Everything from Steel to wood to plastic can be mined, separated, and monetized. The idea here is to assure old dumping ground and the communities around them, that they will be mined, cleaned, and reduced in both toxicity as well as volume.
The fourth complaint is that the paradigm being used currently as well as those being put out for contracting are archaic. Whereas old methods included separation of materials at the source (different bins for different garbage type), modern equipment makes it easy to separate material in real time, avoiding the initial cost of separation or the need for multiple collection cycles and trucks. Instead, new technology allows the collection of garbage and its separation into recyclable material, compost, and trash. It's all done on the go. Experts in Germany say that in the long term, this is the most efficient and least expensive method. They recommend that nations who are about to deploy national waste management systems look into these as opposed to expired methods and paradigms.
The fifth concern is that of economic development. Lebanese jobs could be created from collection to processing, mining, and recycling. In talking with one trusted expert in Germany, he summarized it succinctly in one phrase: The environment is good for business. So before Lebanon decides to ship off these jobs Asia, Germany, or anywhere else, protestors are insisting that the government take a look closer to home for solutions that can involve and help the Lebanese themselves.
The last but certainly not least of complaints is that of lack of decentralization. Naturally, all Lebanese regions produce garbage and most have expressed a willingness to deal with their own waste. The primary problem is Beirut's trash, which rightfully no one wants to contaminate their backyard with. So the question is how to involve the disparate Lebanese regions so that they can share in the cost but also in the benefits that proper waste management offers.
In voicing the above complaints, protestors are presenting positive ideas that can create more harmony between the capital, Beirut and the regions, whereby the national waste management becomes fair for all, decentralized, economically viable, and above all environmentally sustainable. The German offer to collect Lebanon's garbage while appreciated should raise a question mark in the mind of Lebanese policy makers. How come one of the world's richest and advanced nations can offer to collect Lebanese garbage at HALF the cost that we have been paying all these past years, including shipping it to Europe? And what is the current government going to do IMMEDIATELY to assure that the paradigm and technology, which will be contracted for a comprehensive waste management solution will in the short, medium, and long term extract every possible efficiency yielding a clean, environmental, and rewarding process for all Lebanese regions? Protestors are awaiting the government's reply. If it comes back negatively, then in all likelihood many of these protestors will revert to asking the government to take the British ambassador's advice.
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