Staying green and clean in Gaza

When you drive to the northern parts of Gaza, you will be astonished by the wide areas of agricultural lands cultivated with strawberries and corn. This spring, at farms in Beit-Lahia, in northern Gaza, workers are spread out across the fields removing plastic waste from the ground, restoring the beautiful view.

This is the first phase of an environmental clean-up project ANERA has just completed with a $20,000 grant from the Firedoll Foundation and in partnership with Palestinian Agricultural Relief Communities (PARC). This project clears agricultural lands of the plastic waste that comes from greenhouses and farming activities and recycles it for later use.

"I am here to gather plastic in order to save the environment," said Rajeh Masri, father of eight kids and one of the 31 workers to whom this project has offered a new job opportunity. "I have not had a job for a while, so I am glad that I can make some money to feed my kids," he said. "When you find a job in Gaza, it is like you own the world."

Before implementation of this project, farmers had difficulty in getting rid of their plastic waste. Each year in Beit-Lahia, by the end of the agricultural season, over 200 tons of nylon sheets, plastic mulch and external greenhouse covers are generated.
 
"Farmers used to burn the plastic, which pollutes and poisons the air. It causes a suffocating scent that harms the residents and makes children ill," said Ihab Abed Azeez, agricultural engineer and project coordinator.

"We have coordinated with factories to recycle the plastic wisely and safely in order to produce plastic bags and agricultural irrigation pipes," Ihab explained. "One of these factories is located in eastern Gaza and it has already received some of the collected waste material."

Just before starting the project, farmers attended a public education workshop to learn about protecting the environment.

"As far as I know, this is the first project of its kind to be implemented in northern Gaza," Ihab added. ‘It is a win-win situation for everyone: the farmers have clean farms, the environment is improved, and many hours of work are created for people who really need it.’