Wastes in Lebanon

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Solutions for solid waste are costly and expensive. Several methods are available to ensure the right amount of budget to solve such problem. First, a tax system could be developed to cover the charges of waste disposal services and to finance recycling services as well. Other taxes could be in the form of penalties to force people to change non-environment friendly behaviors and force them to be aware of the danger they impose of their surroundings. Other payments people could pay to save the environment are fixed fees that municipality charges from residents to collect wastes per household. This will include separation cost, hazardous waste collection cost such as batteries, and starting recycling centers. Other forms of fees are on reusable items. For instance, a deposit on refillable or reusable packaging is set. Once returned, the customers will receive their deposit back. This will ensure returning of packaging and decrease of manufacturing thus less pollution. For instance, Pepsi puts a fee on glass bottles in Lebanon which would be returned to the consumers once the bottle is returned to the store. This will cause for less manufacturing of bottles and reuse of old ones. (Savino, 2015). Though these acts seem small, but they accumulate to sum a huge amount of money enough to reduce solid waste and fund its management.

After studying the Lebanese and global situation of solid waste management, I can deduce that the main and most important solution of solid waste problem is prevention. This is possible by providing people with the necessary education and awareness about what is solid waste, how to minimize it, and how to treat it. Politicians in Lebanon knew in 1997 and in 2015 that the landfills where about to get shut down and did nothing about it. They waited till the problem escalated and stood helpless. Introducing the concept of self-waste monitoring to decrease the amount of waste one person is producing could really boost the future of our solid waste management. In addition, educating children from a very young age about the importance of separating waste, recycling, reusing, and proper dumping of waste would lead to a cleaner brighter future. Though education is important, but the lack of facilities also plays a role in people neglecting their duties. For instance, most of the Lebanese young adult know and grasp the idea and importance of separation. However, the implementation of garbage separation is absent from our homes, offices, public spaces … In addition to the lack of laws that implement the importance of being environmental friendly. Lebanese government and citizens should stand hand by hand to solve a problem that has been around for ages. It is time to end this problem while we still can control it somehow.

References:

Bourtos, J. (2015, October 16). Garbage Crisis in Lebanon – 1997: Same Policy, Repeated History. Retrieved from http://legal-agenda.com/en/article.php?id=3102

James, E. (2015). Open Dumps. Retrieved from http://www.kankakeehealth.org/environmental-health/nuisance-solid-waste/open-dumps.html

LeBlanc, R. (2016, August 06). An Introduction to Solid Waste Management. Retrieved from https://www.thebalance.com/an-introduction-to-solid-waste-management-2878102

Ramsey, G. (2015). How Can My Community Reduce Waste? Retrieved from https://www.learner.org/exhibits/garbage/solidsolut.html

Rizkallah, M. (2014, April). Country Report on The Solid Waste Management in Lebanon. Retrieved from http://www.moe.gov.lb/Main/Announcements/Announcement/SolideWaste2015/2-LEBANON-COUNTRY-REPORT-ON-SWM-2014.aspx

Savino, A. (2015). Financing of Waste Management – Different Approaches and Examples. Retrieved from http://www.uncrd.or.jp/content/documents/PS3_06_Atilio_Savino.pdf