PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTENERSHIPS (PPP) TO ADDRESS WASTE MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES IN SOUTH BEIRUT THE CURRENT WASTE CRISIS IN GREATER BEIRUT AND THE EMERGING GOAL OF INVOLVING PRIVATE ENTITIES WITHIN PPP AS A TOOL OF SCALING-UP DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE

1. PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTENERSHIPS(PPP)
TO ADDRESS WASTE MANAGEMENT
CHALLENGES IN SOUTH BEIRUT
THE CURRENT WASTE CRISIS IN GREATER BEIRUT AND THE EMERGING GOAL OF INVOLVING
PRIVATE ENTITIES WITHIN PPP AS A TOOL OF SCALING-UP DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE
CONTEXT:
Daily Star article onJuly 20th
,2015:atNaame (SouthBeirut) dumpis closed, the crisis start...
http://dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2015/Jul-20/307416-garbage-collection-halted-in-beirut-mount-
lebanon.ashx
Everyday life amongthe solid waste: concernsforpublic health
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=BEIRUT+GARBAGE&view=detailv2&&id=54D341D24DE469069E0DC6
03609771D8C0A02230&selectedIndex=7&ccid=xGgJNBxT&simid=608055666406722249&thid=OIP.Mc4680934
1c533da163f4fb8f45881bfdo0

2. http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=BEIRUT+GARBAGE&view=detailv2&&id=4EF42EEE8CDFFB28BC0F6E
129765D705522A06BC&selectedIndex=24&ccid=WW99G1ea&simid=608027371161978245&thid=OIP.M596f7d
1b579ad4a7e829846064ca35d6o0
People starts to get hungryand goesin the street
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=beirut+garbage+manifestation&view=detailv2&&id=72C1650297E04C
4375A5E3870A528F9FC8CDB701&selectedIndex=16&ccid=rxOqrvDB&simid=608015714622639308&thid=OIP.
Maf13aaaef0c17e59861dd3bbf10259eco0
World Bank Economic Monitorfor Lebanonsummarizes the actual systemic blockage, ofwhichthe actual
waste management crisis is the most evident manifestation
http://www-
wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2015/11/17/090224b0831c195c/1_0/Rendere
d/PDF/Lebanon0econom0000the0great0capture.pdf -page29#37
37. The ongoing waste management/garbage disposal crisis exposes, in a very visible and
odorous way, the cumulative failures of postwar governance. Avisually powerful garbage crisis
that has left piles of it uncollected on the streets of Lebanon have galvanized sizable popular
demonstrations. Garbage has been piling up since July 17, 2015 when the Naameh landfill, which
served as the primary landfill for the country, was closed without an alternate site being designated due
to opposition from local communities. A nontransparent
tendering process was organized by the government for new waste management contracts across the
country. On August 24, 2015, the Ministry of Environment announced the winners of the bids, most of
whom were seen as having close ties to the political elite. The perceived incessant corruption at the
expense of quality of services triggered a series of protests and civil disobedience measures targeting
the ruling political class with emphasis on corruption and incompetence. A surprised and shaken
political elite quickly abandoned the waste management contracts and distanced themselves from the

3. process. The waste management crisis illustrates and encapsulates the every features that have so
negatively characterized the post-war political landscape: elite capture, corruption, dysfunctional public
institutions and political impasse.
RATIONALE: While the national government is seeking centralized solutions (temporal dumps, plans for
developing waste management plants and waste/energy factories, garbage exportation),the long-term answer
will be delegated to the Municipalities, which do not actually possess the needed expertise (technical, juridical,
in procurement, in engineering, in environmental issues, etc.) neither the equipment and the resources to
develop a local industry ofwaste management. Municipalities are indeed providingshort-term solutions,mainly
by collecting and moving the waste in other localities and incentivizing the differentiated collection and
treatment ofgarbage.
But more has to be done, both in terms of outlining coherent long-term strategies and manage the day-to-day
crisis.All actorsat theterritorial level are concernedandmayplay apotential role: private actors,civil society and
international agencies and donors may initiate and accompany processes that are aimed to constitute the
necessary conditions, at the local level, to copy with the current and medium/long terms challenges relating to
waste management.
Among many initiatives that currently take place at the local level - those supported by international donors,
those pushed by CSOs and movements, and the Municipalities’ mainly reactive measures - the National
Programme for Local Socio-Economic Development, a bilateral program managed by the Ministry of Social
Affairs of Lebanon and funded by Italian Cooperation, provide an actual space to build alliances among the
central government, the Municipality, an UN agency, civil society and the private sector, in view of mobilizing
resources,ideas, andtalents, foroutlining a pilot solutionat the level ofthe Municipality ofChyiah(SouthBeirut)
which is already partner to many of the actors involved (Council of Children with MOSA, Local Economic
Development Agencywith UNDP) andactually struggles tomanage the 25tonsof solid waste producedperday
and thusto keep its streets as clean as possible.
OBJECTIVES:
 To address concretelyand in a long-term perspective the waste management issue in Chyiah, by
introducinga more sustainable consumptionhabitand increasing recycling.
 To carryon a pilot initiative that can serve as a model for PPP onsocialand urbanissues.
PARTNERS:
 Municipality of Chyiah: ensureprojectdirection and set the strategic vision, also by involving the
CouncilofChildren and the Local Economic Development Agency.Mobilization of relevant, local
private actors.
 MOSA (National Programmeforlocal socio-economic development):projectfundingandscaling-up
 Italian Cooperation/Italian Embassy: technicalassistance andindirect funding
 UNDP:provide expertise forestablishing a baseline and develop a long-term strategy
 Private actors:providing andimplementing tools in a long-term perspective

4. STRATEGY:
The recycling in Chyiahcurrently amountsto a mere 2%of the total waste production(0,5outof25 tonsper
day).
The involvement ofprivate actors shall be achieved based onthe perspective of enlarging the actual “market”
ofrecycled waste in an indicative 2-years’ time.
Thus,private actorsmay be pushed to invest their ownresourcesin order to start increasing recycling,in view
ofenjoying a large market opportunityin the next future(the objectiveis tobring the total differentiated waste
to 5 tonsper day - around20%ofthe total daily waste).They couldfor example invest in larger equipment
(trucks) andpersonnel,in order to develop the chain ofcollection and transportationof duly differentiated solid
waste to factoriesand plants that actually recycleit. They canin this wayto enlarge the economic and
infrastructuralchain andthus providingmanagement ofa larger share ofsolid waste.In short,they invest now
in order to have higher returnsat limited risk in the years to come.
Inparallel, sensitization conductedbythe Municipality’s agent and bythe CouncilsofChildren shall push
families to engage in recycling, thusreducingthe total size ofsolid wasteto be treated outside any recycling
system. In this purpose,childrenand youthmight give a valuable help in pushingtheirs and other families to
adopt a more sustainable consumptionpath.
Onthe side ofrecycling, large supermarkets in the area might also be approachedin view ofgetting them to
revise their packagingsystem in a way that reduceuseless waste.
ACTIVITIES:
1. Improvingconsumptionpathsforreducingtotal waste
a. Sensitization (CouncilsofChildren)
b. Adaptingpackaging in orderto reduce waste(shopsand supermarkets, LEDA)
2. Increasingthe recyclingpercentage
a. Providingthe physical infrastructureand machinery(private actors)
b. Ensure collectionpaths and differentiated wastetreatment (Municipality and private actors)
RESOURCES:
Budget:100.000 eurosavailable from MOSA (+ technical assistance) (PUBLICFUNDING).Municipalityand
private actors are expected to raise around300.000 euros(includingin-kind).Time: the pilot phaseshall last 3-6
months.