The Finance and Budget Committee, chaired by MP Ibrahim Kanaan, held a session on Wednesday that focused on Lebanon’s deepening waste management crisis and financial concerns related to private sector end-of-service indemnities.
The committee approved a measure that empowers municipalities to manage waste collection and treatment in exchange for a symbolic fee. The plan introduces a tiered payment system: municipalities, public institutions and government departments will contribute between 5% and 20% of the minimum wage, while industrial institutions and tourist resorts will pay 400%.
Kanaan said the move aims to ease the financial burden on the central government while strengthening the role of local authorities. “Landfills are landfills of death, and we reject them,” he said, reiterating the committee’s firm opposition to expanding existing landfill sites. He stressed that administrative decentralization is essential to giving municipalities both the authority and means to act without being overwhelmed.
According to Kanaan, the Ministry of Environment has prepared a national plan to address the landfill crisis, which he said “can no longer be ignored.” He noted ongoing discussions between the government, municipalities and international institutions, including the World Bank, to pursue a sustainable solution after decades of failed policies.
Kanaan also clarified that the committee’s current discussions on end-of-service indemnities relate strictly to private sector employees under the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), and not to public sector workers. He said the committee is working on a solution that guarantees employees’ rights, with shared responsibility between the state, private institutions and the NSSF.
While no final decision has been reached, Kanaan expressed hope that a framework will be ready to present to the committee within two weeks.
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