Results of AUB air quality and waste burning study are extremely worrying

Source: Al Jazeera

On January 28, AUB released their study results on Toxic Emissions of Waste Burning. Between the period of October 2 and November 22 air samples were tested near waste burning sites. The air samples were then compared to previous measurements or to ones taken a week away from nearby burning incidents and after it had rained. The following is a summary of the results with some health related information.  It is important to note that these results are only from samples taken near areas where trash is being burnt and therefore do not represent all of Beirut and Mount Lebanon’s atmosphere.

Adloun Port: Another environmental transgression by the Lebanese government

Source: Green Southern Facebook Page

 

A controversial plan by the Ministry of Public Works to construct a port, the Nabih Berri Fisherman Project, along the coast of Adloun in Southern Lebanon is currently underway. According to the Director General of Land and Maritime Transport, the port will also host storage rooms and a fish market to be used by the local fisherman. Both fisherman boats and leisure boats will be able to dock at the port and a free public swimming pool will be established. The Mayor of Adloun lauded this “complete project” and claimed that “everyone will benefit from it.”

Solid waste management in Lebanon needs reliable information

A major problem for every sector in Lebanon is the lack of reliable data and transparency. Often, the only available figures are published by a non-government entity, such as a university, an international organization, or NGO. In the solid waste sector, important statistics such as waste generation and recycling rates are scarce; any available data is not continuous and some of the figures conflict.

What is the fate of Lebanon’s exported trash?

Source: Ya Libnan

Despite the government agreeing to export Beirut and Mount Lebanon’s trash for the next 18 months, the fate and destination of the trash remain unclear. The only information disclosed was the names of companies that have been awarded the export contracts: the British firm Chinook Urban Mining International and the Dutch firm Howa International.