The garbage crisis is back and it’s even worse this time. The government had one year to figure out a proper solution to this crisis, yet instead of promoting recycling and getting rid of landfills, they inaugurated an additional landfill in Costa Brava and are planning to add two more along the Matn Coast.
I found a documentary explaining how the two landfills will look like and it goes without saying that it’s a disastrous project. We are talking about landfills covering an area of 577,000 m2 along the coast that will cost $110M over 4 years and will pose a health threat to over 350,000 residents. 90% of the garbage, if not more, will be dumped randomly and Matn and Burj Hammoud residents will have to endure bad smells for years.
Turning the Matn coast or any other coast into a dumpster is a BAD idea and it’s “better” to let trash pile up in the streets than allow the authorities to implement such a plan. However, we shouldn’t let trash pile up in the first place as there are plenty of “good” solutions already available like establishing sorting plants in all areas, decentralizing waste management, what the Lebanese Eco Movement proposed and others. A lot of municipalities began recycling a year ago and some of them even set up their own plants like Bickfaya and Zahle.
What’s shocking about this new project is that very few MPs (mainly Kataeb) are lobbying fiercely against it. How stupid or should I say how corrupt can one be to even consider such a thing? Who the hell puts a landfill at the heart of a crowded area? Didn’t we learn anything about the huge Garbage mountain we have? Or the Zouk power plant?
At this point, the only way to protest the government’s garbage solutions is for municipalities to step up, sort their own trash, start recycling and block any attempt to set up landfills in their area just like Burj Hammoud did yesterday.
I am flustered by the way you are presenting this issue, specifically the political aspect of it.
Yes, only the Kataeb are opposing this FROM THE POLITICAL PARTIES REPRESENTED IN THE GOVERNMENT. The people are too. You’re presenting this as a purely tactical problem, why it is much deeper. I would have liked some push for people to take the streets, tejyeesh if you will, but your posts are remaining almost neutral. And that I don’t understand for such a blog read by thousands of people every day. You’re either naive, or have taken a decision not to go into “politics” and both are equally bad.
And no, the only problem is not for municipalities to “step up” and sort their trash. You’ve clearly been watching too much Tol3et Ree7etkon. The government takes money from the municipalities ILLEGALLY (against the law). The municipalities have already paid for these services, but to Sukleen. The government is forcing them to deal with Sukleen by automatically taking their money. So again, this is not the municipalities problem.
It’s the war lords problem who have taken over this country, in each and every form and inch of it, and are now FIGHTING for the revenues of garbage as well. (They always were dividing that between them). Please lets not oversimplify.
Your solution for mostly everything in this country is forming a POLITICAL united front capable in standing against these people ruling the country for the past 30 years. And people are available. Decent politicians, people, nashitin, regular people. Beirut Madinati was a fine example. The only reason Beirut Madinati did not reach its happy endings if because of the municipality electoral laws. “el 2anoun el aktari wil nisbi”.. Had the law been made in a fair way “nesbe” Beirut Madinati would been on the scene today. It’s the same with majles el neweb. The same people are reaching the same places because of a CUSTOM MADE electoral law. Wake up for god’s sake.
Hi,
First of all you could share all ur comments under one post no need to split them under three.
Moving on to your comments, I am trying to make sense of your points but they don’t add up.
– only the Kataeb are opposing this FROM THE POLITICAL PARTIES REPRESENTED IN THE GOVERNMENT.
So? What’s your point again? These parties are representative of the people whether we like to admit it or not and no the people are not protesting and no I won’t push people to take the streets, not after what happened last year. The only “naive” thing to do at this point is take the streets again just like that and giving people false hopes.
The municipalities are controlled mostly by political parties and they can easily act up if they want to. Money is not the issue here especially in Matn. The government can’t force them to do shit right now if they don’t want to. If municipalities want to do the right thing, nothing can stop them and that’s where people should be protesting. Decentralization of the garbage is the only way out, in fact decentralizing everything is the only way out.
“Your solution for mostly everything in this country is forming a POLITICAL united front capable in standing against these people ruling the country for the past 30 years ”
So you wanna form a political united front against the ruling government and I’m the naive one here? Good luck with that and let’s not talk about Beirut Madinati please as there are several reasons why they didn’t win, not just the electoral laws and asking for el “Nesbe” does not happen like that.
Again if you’d like to have a decent talk you are most than welcome but please avoid these “naive” and “wake up” comments because it turns the discussion into a childish one. No I don’t want to talk politics because our problem isn’t political only. Change doesn’t happen over night and spreading awareness on the things that matter can help. I’m not here to topple government nor make revolutions. I don’t believe in such things anymore in Lebanon simply because things don’t work that way.
What are you a censorship here? Telling me to put my comments all under one. These thoughts came in batches of three, so I hope you enjoy them as such. Seriously, I don’t know what pisses me off more, your naive posts or the way you talk to people. Either way, I won’t be following your shitty blog anymore.
PS. I hope you keep this post, otherwise it would be exactly a censorship.
Jad,
You obviously have no idea what censorship is as well lol! Enjoy 🙂