القمامة: نافذة على مشاكل "الحكم" في لبنان

القمامة: نافذة على مشاكل "الحكم" في لبنان

كتابة: رانيا المصري

ترجمة: مريم زقوت

This post was firstly published in Rania's Facebook page

-          نعم لدنيا مشكله نفايات في لبنان. نعم لدنيا الان مشكلة نفايات جديه في بيروت.

-          اذن ماذا يجب ان نفعل بخصوص هذه المشكلة؟ التذمر من الرائحة الكريهة والتلوث البصري و " ظهور مرض الطاعون في المستقبل القريب" والرغبة في اختفاء المشكلة كلها! تذهب الي أين؟

-          ان يتم حرقها فتتحول الي سموم ومواد مسرطنة في الهواء المحيط (: http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/238317 انظر في الرابط حول اضرار حرق النفايات) التخلص منها في مكبات نفايات اخري لتملأ أحياء سكنية أخري ولتنغص عليهم حياتهم اليومية وتبقي المشكلة بعيدة عنا طالما نحن نعيش في العاصمة بيروت لا يعكر صفونا الرائحة او المظهر العام.

-          بأخذ بعين الاعتبار أن مكبات النفايات ليست مصممة بشكل مناسب وبالتالي تؤثر بالسلب علي جودة البيئة المجاورة والصحة العامة.

-          بملاحظة السبع مكبات الرئيسة في لبنان تتضح المخاطر الناتجة عنها مثال علي ذلك، مكب النفايات في صيدا حيث تدخل برنامج الأمم المتحدة الانمائي لإدارة المكب الذي أدي لزيادة الضرر البيئي.

-          رمي المزيد من نفاياتنا في البحر ثم "استعادة" المزيد من الأراضي من البحر، وخلق مزيد من الربح الاقتصادي لأصحاب العقارات الغنية وتدمير أكثر للبحر الأبيض المتوسط؟

لا. لنري المشكلة كما هي.

-          انتاجنا لكميات اضافية من النفايات، لذلك يوجد حاجة لتقييم أساليبنا الحياتية (بيروت واحياءها المجاورة تنتج حوالي 3000 طن/ اليوم) (انظر في الرابط لطرق تقليل انتاجنا الشخصي من النفايات: 

http://blogbaladi.com/five-ways-to-reduce-waste-until-the-garbage-crisis-is-over/ )

-          فشل الحكومة , بصدق , لم يكن هناك أي مفاجأة في هذه القضية ; كل وزير وجميع اعضاء البرلمان  كان لديهم  علم بهذا الوضع.

-           (شاهد هذه المقابلة مع بسام القنطار , يوضح ان المسؤولية الحاسمة تقع علي عاتق مجلس الانماء والاعمار .حيث ان سبع حكومات فشلت في  ذلك  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsshJKQGGQU&feature=youtu.be    )

-          الفساد الاقتصادي الموجود في الادارة المزعومة للنفايات من َقبل شركة Sukleenهي بشكل جدلي أغلى ادارة نفايات في العالم (ومع ذلك فشلت) حيث أن عملية الجمع والتخلص من النفايات في بيروت وجبل لبنان حاليا تكلف 130 دولار أمريكي لكل طن من القمامة والذي يعادل حوالي ثلاث اضعاف التكلفة لمدينة عمان في الأردن (38 دولار أمريكي لكل طن) وأكبر بشكل واضح مقارنة بالتكلفة في مدينة القاهرة (20 دولار أمريكي لكل طن) (شاهد مثال للفساد الشركة بالتواطؤ مع مجلس الانماء  http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/11479)

-          وأيضا هذا تقرير ملخص

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2015/Jan-17/284408-landfill-crisis-thrusts-sukleen-in-limelight.ashx

-          الفشل في إدراك أن هذه النفايات ليست نفايات في الواقع. حوالي 60-70 % من نفاياتنا هي نفايات عضوية، بمعني أخر أنها غنية جدا كسماد! وعلاوة على ذلك كما وضح زياد أبي شاكر – كل نفاياتنا في لبنان (بدون استثناء) يمكن إعادة استخدامها او إعادة تدويرها.

 (انظر في الرابط:

https://www.facebook.com/ziad.abichaker.7/media_set?set=a.1594781204108347.1073741834.100007294476672&type=3

-          كما كتب زياد أبي شاكر " بينما تغرق بيروت في القمامة , نحن نستخدم نفس تلك القمامة المعاد تدويرها  لبناء الجدار الأخضر العمودي علي فوتوغرافية الجميزة حيث تم تحويل36,660 وحدة من الأكياس البلاستيكية الي ألواح صديقة للبيئة التي تم استخدامها لصنع ذلك الجدار... السماد العضوي الناتج عن نفايات مذابح المواشي ثم اضافته للوسط المغذي( في مجال الزراعة)  لخصوبة أكثر ..600  نبتة دائمة الخضرة سيتم زرعها في  10 متر مكعب ....

-          في الغد، جزء من القمامة التي تغرق بيروت سيتم عرضها في فوتوغرافية الجميزة وقد تحولت الي جدار أخضر خصيب...تلك القمامة التي تجعل المدينة بشعة , ستجعلها خضراء قريبا  ..وهذا وعد .

-          نحن نملك طرق متاحة وجميلة قادرة على تحويل نفاياتنا الي حدائق، وتقودنا الي صفر مكبات وصفر محارق. دعونا ندفع في هذا المسار.

‎ورشة عمل بعنوان دور المرأة الريفية في التعامل مع قضية تغير المناخ.

شارك مجموعة من متطوعي مبادرة صفر نفايات ( نحو شرق أوسط خالي من النفايات) في تنظيم وتنفيذ ورشة عمل هي الاولى من نوعها في قطاع غزة تهدف الى بناء قدرات نساء الريف في مكافحة التدهور البيئي الذي تعاني منه المناطق الريفية واستكشاف أفضل الحلول للتخفيف والتكيف لمواجهة تغير المناخ.
نفذت الورشة من قبل جمعية نطوف للبيئة وتنمية المجتمع بالتعاون مع فريق مبادرة صفر نفايات ونشطاء من حركة الشباب العربي للمناخ وشبكة نساء الأرض والعمل من اجل المناخ الدولية .

A call for research topics & ideas

An integral part of ZW MENA work is to provide valuable support and assistant to universities, students and entrepreneurs, working in disciplines related to waste management. Depending on the subject of the research/project, ZW MENA may provide advisory service or/and assist in obtaining financial support for the project/research.  We are therefore keen to know from you what research subjects and projects you are interested in or working on, which may benefit from our support. 

The research topics and projects could be aiming to tackle one or more aspects of the three dimensions of the Integrated Sustainable Waste Management (ISMW) in a specific city, country or the MENA region as a whole.  The ISMW dimensions are; sustainability aspects, waste management elements, and stakeholders roles and responsibilities.

This approach will help ZW Zero MENA to effectively contribute into efforts to implement sustainable waste management practice towards  Zero Waste MENA on the long term.

Middle East Waste & Recycling Expo (Dubai, UAE)

Date:	|	18 – 20 May 2015
Type:	|	Exhibition
Location:	|	Dubai World Trade Centre
City:	|	Dubai
Country:	|	United Arab Emirates
Website:	|	www.fm-expo.com, www.middleeastwaste.ae and www.middleeastclean.ae

FM EXPO, Middle East Waste & Recycling and Commercial Cleaning & Hygiene are Officially Supported by Middle East Facilities Management Association (MEFMA) and Dubai Municipality.

The event is also supported by Principal Intelligence Partner, Imdaad, Innovation sponsor, Emrill and Farnek as Sustainability sponsor.

FM EXPO is in its ninth year and brings together building owners, occupiers, FM companies, and suppliers alike, to help the FM industry generate new business and promote regional awareness. Organized by dmg events, FM EXPO is free for trade visitors. Featuring free-to-attend seminars and the World FM Congress, FM EXPO 2015 offers facility management professionals sessions covering the latest regulations, innovative solutions and world-class case studies.

Collocated at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), Middle East Waste & Recycling, and Commercial Cleaning and Hygiene, are two premier exhibitions, dedicated to their niche industries. A new sector is to be introduced at this year’s FM EXPO catering to the specific needs of the Elevators & Access control industry.

Middle East Waste & Recycling will deliver waste management and recycling solutions to the region, providing a platform for manufacturers and suppliers to reach decision makers in the waste and recycling sector. The event will attract waste management professionals seeking solutions for waste minimisation, collection, treatment, disposal and recycling.

Commercial Cleaning and Hygiene will attract manufacturers and suppliers of cleaning equipment and services, contract cleaning companies, facility managers and distributors within the region, as well as end users within government, education, healthcare, leisure, and retail sectors.

FM EXPO 2015, Middle East Waste & Recycling and Commercial Cleaning & Hygiene, will be held from 18 - 20 May 2015. For more information about these events, visit www.fm‐expo.com, www.middleeastwaste.ae, and www.middleeastclean.ae

Don't miss out on this unique opportunity in UAE to compare thousands of building, cleaning and recycling products in one place, saving you time and money. Register for FREE entry at fm-expo.com/ct/reg

Gaza: Toil & Rubble

Al-Shijaiyya neighbourhood East of Gaza city (photo by Hosam Salem)

This article was firstly published in the CIWM Journal ( December, 2014).

In April 2013, Ramy wrote an article for the CIWM Journal entitled, "Gaza's challenge". The aim of the article was to review Gaza’s solid waste management system and suggest strategies to improve current practices. Considered to be a territory of conflict, Gaza faces numerous barriers that thwart any initiatives to improve environmental conditions and develop the waste management sector. It is indeed a challenging task. But today, Gaza is facing a once in a lifetime challenge, which is far greeater any challenges addressed in the article witten in 2013.

On the 8^th July 2014, the Israeli army launched a new military offensive on the Gaza Strip. More than 2,100 Palestinians, most of them civilians, were killed during the conflict. In addition 71 Israelis were killed – six of them civilians. The 2014 war is incomparable to previous military escalations in terms of duration, casualties, and the level of destruction. UN General Secretary, Ban Ki Moon, described it as a “nightmare”, urging to stop the violence in the region.

The Gaza Strip is a narrow strip of land on the Mediterranean cost. It borders Israel to the east and north and Egypt to the south. It covers a total area of 365 square kilometers, which is nearly the same geographical area as Bradford city. Currently, approximately 1.8 million citizens, of whom almost one million are UN-registered refugees, are distributed across five governorates. The 2008 UN report previously warned that Gaza is expected to be “unlivable place by 2020”. Inevitably, the 2014 war would bring this date closer. From an environmental outlook, this war has deepened Gaza’s environmental crisis. The people of Gaza suffer from daily power cuts, water quality deterioration, and environmental hygiene issues.

The scale of damage resulting from the 50-day escalation in hostilities is unprecedented. All governorates in the Gaza Strip witnessed extensive aerial bombardment, naval shelling and artillery fire, resulting in a considerable amount of rubble. According to recent statistics, more than 2 million tonnes of debris was generated.  Approximately 10000 houses were leveled to the ground including two 13-story residential buildings. A tremendous amount of debris remains scattered in Gaza. Serious efforts and a high budget are required to handle this challenge.  More importantly, and based on a UNEP study after the 2008 war, the debris is highly likely to be contaminated with PAHs and probably with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, and furan compounds.

Three compelling reasons exist to consider Gaza rubble one of the vastest challenges Gaza has ever had: the amount of debris is considerably huge to be reused in a small geographical area; the contamination of debris reduces options which could be considered; and the devastating situation persuades potential donors to priorities humanitarian projects rather than debris removal. According to a recently published report by the Palestinian Economic Council for Development & Reconstruction (PECDAR), local experts have suggested three options to deal with the rubble.

•      Crushing it to be reused as an aggregate replacement in road infrastructure projects.
•    The use of rubble for deliberate dumping of Gaza beach to expand its geographical area.
•         Rehabilitate Gaza coast by building waves breaker.

The first step to handle the debris for any recycling or reuse (including land rehabilitation by dumping into the Mediterranean) is to ensure that there are no UnExploded Ordnances (UXO) in the debris which could pose a risk to debris workers. Secondly, the debris should be decontaminated of any hazardous materials as well as non-inert materials such as timber and furnishings. Leaving these materials in the debris will lead to void spaces developing once the debris has been placed in situ resulting in unstable roads or land. Once the debris has been ‘decontaminated’, simple crushers can be deployed to reduce the debris to a gravel material for reuse. This process requires a significant amount of work to make the debris ‘recyclable’. However, on the positive side there is experience in Gaza for this type of work, as well as numerous other countries such as Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and the Balkans.

From our perspective, and in order to introduce a pragmatic solution, both environmental and economic aspects should be considered prior any attempt to remove the rubble. Firstly, and in order to reduce transportation costs, rubble should be handled on-site using a mobile crusher. A key consideration will be the opportunity to import plant and machinery (with relaxations of the current embargos). Once rubble is crushed, it could be stored in designated sites, which should be systematically chosen close to future project sites. Thus, costs can be reduced significantly. Additionally, on-site processing gives an opportunity to identify any contamination, sort it onsite and dispose of it at a separate facility.

Organizations such as Zero Waste MENA and Disaster Waste Recovery have the experience to implement such projects and maximize the debris’ value. We are also happy to cooperate with any interested UK industry willing to take part in this project. 

Authors:

Ramy Salemdeeb is the founder of Zero Wate MENA and current PhD researcher at Cambridge University.

Martin Bjerregaard is a director at Disaster Waste Recovery. He is also specialized in waste and debris management in post-disaster and post-conflict areas.

The Waste Management & Recycling Summit in Qatar

Qatar being one of the highest generators of waste across the world with an average of 1.8 kgs of waste generated each day. Waste management and waste recycling have become the most pressing issue for the government and the stakeholders in Qatar. With active tie ups and government initiatives being taken in this pursuit, the third edition of Waste Management & Recycling Summit was organized in Doha to address these issues.

International and National experts has joined this event to share their views and best practices on waste handling techniques and the role of technology in effectively disposing of this waste. The principle of REDUCE – REUSE – RECYCLE is the need of the hour.

Zero Waste MENA was one of the media sponsors of this event. Ramy Salemdeen, the founder of Zero Waste MENA has expressed his attributes to the organizer of this event. He also said that 

"The third edition of Waste Management & Recycling Summit was a great platform to look back to our existing practices in order to develop future sustainable practices. Renowned speakers shared their experience and thoughts about the future of waste management industry in Qatar." 

New SWEEP-Net 2013 country Reports

The SWEEP-Net (the Regional Solid Waste Exchange of Information and Expertise Network) has published its new series of country reports for 2013, New SWEEP-Net 2013 country reports.

The yearly publications document the state of solid waste management in each of the network nine member countries and they are one of the most comprehensive state-wide data on the solid waste management (SWM) sector in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

SWEEP-Net website also provides the direct links to the reports for each specific country: Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan,Lebanon, Mauritania, Morocco, Palestinian Territory, Yemen.

Source: www.sweep-net.org

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