Report: Berri Against Exporting Lebanon's Waste

Speaker Nabih Berri seems to be a non-supporter of a plan to export Lebanon's waste as he stressed on Thursday that the trash should be dumped in the coastal area of Costa Brava and Srar in Akkar, al-Joumhouria daily reported.

Berri said that the trash generated from the southern suburbs of Beirut should be taken to the Costa Brava landfill and that of Beirut to Srar, the daily added.

He suggested that the hazardous dumpster of Costa Brava should be converted into an environment friendly facility and the capacity of Srar should be expanded to receive additional quantities.

Furthermore the piles of trash sent to Sidon landfill should be increased to receive trash from Mount Lebanon and Beirut in addition to activating the Karantina waste treatment facility.

Two firms that agreed to export Lebanon's trash, Britain’s Chinook Urban Mining International and Holland’s Howa BV, were brought down to one after Howa's announced withdrawal.

Lebanon was plunged in a waste management crisis following the closure in July of the Naameh landfill.

Officials have for months failed to find an alternative to the dump, resulting in the accumulation of trash on the streets throughout the country.

The cabinet in December approved the export of the waste despite reservations of the Kataeb and Change and Reform blocs.

D.A.

G.K.