Solid waste treatment in Ghazzeh

Operations have just begun in a newly constructed solid waste treatment facility in Ghazzeh, west Bekaa.

The facility was built by the Municipality of Ghazzeh, with the help of international NGO, Oxfam and the Canadian Cooperation Office. “The facility was built to assist the local community with meeting the immediate needs of Syrian refugees,” said Vanessa Kardamona, Project Manager at Oxfam.

The facility has the capacity to treat ten tons of solid waste, per day. “The facility is temporary and can be removed anytime the municipality decides to build a larger plant to serve a larger area,” she said. Mayor Mohammad Majzoub said there are plans to expand the facility to treat 20 tons per day within 45 days. The cost of the facility and its expansion is $600,000, funded by the international donors.

The plant employs 13 locals and Syrians. The cost of its operations will be recovered by selling recyclable materials such as plastic, paper and aluminum in Zahle.

Around 13,000 households benefit from the plant and with the expansion, the number will increase by a further 7,000.