With the pressing issue of trash accumulation in the streets and roads of our villages, major cities and our capital Beirut; and with the different random dumps created by individuals and sometimes municipalities, also in the obscurity of the sudden and emergency situation of the future of the garbage crisis with gloomy prospects for a rapid dear solution, which is shadowed by the clouds of torched dumps with their toxic fumes. And with the anticipated risk of the expansion of these landfills and dumpsters which may harbor an additional major threat, for these may become hotbeds for insects and rodents carrying diseases and health concerns. greenarea, is searching for exceptional solutions, trying at the same time to read the situation as objectively as possible with our only bias towards the people and their suffering. Our politicians on the other hand keep looking for a miraculous instant solution, even though they were familiarized with the drastic situation in Naameh landfill for more than a year and a half, and as an environmental activist Ziad al Mohtar described it “we’ve been living with the ordeal of Naameh landfill for 17 years, and the government has done absolutely nothing, and our dear fellow citizens couldn’t tolerate it for less than 2 weeks. We emphasize the fact that we’re not the enemies, we have tolerated this far too long and we can’t take it anymore”. Our colleague the media representative of “Enough Trash-كفانا نفايات” Raghida Halabi asked the Minister of Environment, Mr. Mohammad Machnouk, “Is this the slogan you released upon receiving your ministerial functions, Mr. Minister, You said, -my environment, my country-, is this the environment and the country you seek?? Is this the environment you want to develop and the country you wish to build”? And when asked by greenarea about the possibility of using the landfill temporarily she answered, “the Progressive Socialist Party issued a statement dated 27th of July that the landfill will not receive any bag of trash, and a senior official in the PSP assured us and the Mayor of Ain Anoub municipality Jamal Ammar after meeting with PSP leader Walid Jumblatt confirmed this”. Recycling versus Incineration Similarly, Lebanon Eco Movement LEM which is a large network of environmental organizations and associations joining around sixty NGOs from all Lebanon and an active movement in many environmental issues and according to a study dated 15th of February 2015 prepared by the National Conference on Solid Waste Management in Lebanon prepared by LEM with the participation of municipalities and the private sector, LEM proposed an integrating system for managing wastes involving 2 main systems, with titles “3 in 1” and “Trash to Ash”. 3 in 1 comprises the citizens sorting, municipalities gathering and the government setting places to gather the different constituents of trash, with a map where composting stations are situated for the remaining organic matter. While “Trash to Ash” is the remaining wastes which are about 20 percent or (RDF), Refuse-derived fuel which is a fuel produced by shredding and dehydrating solid waste with a waste converter technology and consists largely of combustible components of municipal waste such as plastics and biodegradable waste, and could be used as a fuel for the aggregate plants such as Holcim and Siblin instead of using coal derived fuel. LEM sites a comparison between the sorting and recycling act versus incineration, for many advocates in the government are seeking the incineration solution. Incineration involves spending 1 billion and two hundred thousand dollars for 4 incinerators, and a minimum of four years to implement this plan, while sorting and recycling needs only 40 million dollars and a year for implementation. Not to mention the cost involved for operating the incinerating system which requires specialized work force which is not available locally. As well of cost of transportation is 3 times the recycling and productivity per ton in incineration process is half that of recycling. Paul Abi Rashed president of LEM and also president of the NGO environmental T.E.E.R.E. who explained the previous plans to greenarea said that: “Upon this national conference following the first closure of Naameh landfill, we presented this study to the government officials but with no avail”. Expert’s opinion Upon consulting with Dr. Naji Kodeih greenarea’s scientific advisor about the incineration process, he emphasized that “Incineration is a dangerous process that involves the emissions of highly toxic fine and ultra-fine particles to the atmospheric air, and the ash which results from the process is more dangerous than the one resulting from the recycling and is characterized as hazardous waste and should be treated before being land-filled in a special landfill for hazardous and special wastes”. And he added “while in the case of recycling, it is the best way to act with wastes and you may consider it the most natural solution to manage such problem”. A message from greenarea With what we mentioned earlier, with the interest of common people in mind, and in the light of the developing crisis induced by the government and the incineration advocates, one arrives to the conclusion and realizes that the matter could be stinker than what we are actually seeing, with hidden agendas and deals that are reeking with filthier intentions, while recycling involves a real co-operational patriotic act, the incineration involves more toxic materials filling our beloved country; while these same advocates keep playing with our sectarian, regionalism, and emotional differences to keep additional profits they are risking at the same time the health of the citizens and the future of the whole country.
