Listen to the article
A potential new waste crisis could break out, as municipalities in the southern suburbs of Beirut are threatening to forbid – starting Sunday, January 7 – the dumping of waste from the Chouf, Aley and Baabda regions into the Costa Brava landfill.
Located in Choueifat, the landfill is at risk of imminent saturation, compounded by the daily disposal of 1,700 tons, surpassing its intended capacity of 1,000 tons, as stated in a recent announcement by Mohammad Dergham, the president of the Federation of Municipalities in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Dergham suggests that the Costa Brava landfill should solely handle waste from the southern suburbs and Choueifat. When contacted by This is Beirut, he refrained from making any additional comments.
The Costa Brava and Bourj Hammoud-Jdeideh landfills are the two official landfills established in 2016, a year after the waste crisis erupted in 2015 following the closure of the Naameh landfill. The Costa Brava landfill, quickly reaching its capacity, was expanded in 2018, and the Bourj Hammoud-Jdeideh landfill in 2021.
Sparing the Country an Additional Crisis
Current negotiations are underway to spare the country from an additional crisis. Ghayath Yazbeck, president of the parliamentary Environmental Committee, emphasized, “The government, in collaboration with the Chief of Parliament, should work towards postponing the closure of the landfill by at least six months to find comprehensive political solutions to the waste problem.” Yazbeck, who conducted an urgent meeting on Thursday focusing on the Costa Brava landfill issue, underlined, “This problem is purely political, and the solution must be political as well.” However, he expressed concern, stating, “With a caretaker government in place, I fear that we may not be able to accomplish much.”
According to the caretaker Minister of Environment, Nasser Yassine, who spoke at Thursday’s meeting, it is crucial to reopen the sorting center in Amroussieh, which was designed to cater to this landfill but has been closed for several years. “We are collaborating with the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) to reopen this facility,” he stated after the meeting, emphasizing that there were “financial-related issues.” According to him, this problem should be addressed during the next Cabinet meeting.
Nasser Yassine also emphasized the need to “rehabilitate the composting plant in Bourj Hammoud,” which was destroyed by the double explosions at the port of Beirut on August 4, 2020. There is also a financial issue at this level.
A Global Solution
According to Pierre Bou Assi, an MP from Baabda, the solution to the recurring waste problem “must be sustainable.” “The sector should be privatized, steering clear of the pitfalls seen with corrupt companies that took control of this sector at exorbitant costs,” he asserted. He also advocated for a waste management strategy, primarily based on source sorting and recycling.
As for Hady Aboul Hosn, also an MP from Baabda, he warned against a situation similar to that of 2015 following the closure of Naameh’s landfill. “To address this crisis, it is imperative to develop a comprehensive plan and move away from partial solutions,” he told This is Beirut. He affirmed that negotiations are intensifying to find a comprehensive solution to the problem. “It is the responsibility of the government and all active forces, without exception,” he emphasized.
