|
1.Lebanon has a history of high cost waste services and of engagement with the private sector in waste management operations, mainly waste collection and disposal
2.Lebanon spends US$154.5 dollars to manage every ton of solid waste, with transportation of waste being the major cost factor. By comparison, Algeria, Jordan, and Syria spend $7.22, $22.8, and $21.55, respectively. On average, Lebanon spends around $420 million per year on solid waste management, while countries like Jordan and Tunisia spend between $48 and $54 million per year
3.Lebanon’s lack of a comprehensive solid waste management strategy is incurring huge environmental and public health costs. “The costs of inaction are huge, and residents are being denied their right to health and a healthy environment every day this crisis goes unaddressed”
4.A 2004 World Bank study estimated the cost of environmental pollution from illegal dumping and waste burning to be around $10 million per year, and rising. Another study in 2014 by two waste management experts showed that the cost of environmental degradation from improper solid waste management is $66.5 million a year, 0.2 percent of the 2012 national GDP
5.Air pollution from open waste burning has been linked to heart disease and emphysema and can expose people to carcinogenic compounds. The waste sector in Lebanon, along with road traffic and private generators, are the 3 main sources of air pollution
|