Skip to content
Anera
  • Who We Are
    • Column1
      • About Us
      • Our Staff
      • Anera FAQ
    • Column2
      • Resources
      • 2021 Annual Report
      • Contact Us
  • Where We Work
    • Column1
      • Palestine
        • Gaza
        • West Bank
      • Lebanon
      • Jordan
  • What We Do
    • Column1
      • Agriculture
      • Health
      • Community
      • Education
    • Column2
      • Water
      • Emergency
      • Our Priorities
      • Stories
  • How to Help
    • Column1
      • Fundraise
      • Attend an Event
      • Donor Portal
    • Column2
      • Give Monthly
      • More Ways to Give
      • Zakat Giving
      • Anera Leadership Circle
  • Videos
  • Blog
  • Donate
    • Monthly Giving
    • Zakat Giving
    • More Ways to Give
Anera
Donor Portal
  • Who We Are
    • Column1
      • About Us
      • Our Staff
      • Anera FAQ
    • Column2
      • Resources
      • 2021 Annual Report
      • Contact Us
  • Where We Work
    • Column1
      • Palestine
        • Gaza
        • West Bank
      • Lebanon
      • Jordan
  • What We Do
    • Column1
      • Agriculture
      • Health
      • Community
      • Education
    • Column2
      • Water
      • Emergency
      • Our Priorities
      • Stories
  • How to Help
    • Column1
      • Fundraise
      • Attend an Event
      • Donor Portal
    • Column2
      • Give Monthly
      • More Ways to Give
      • Zakat Giving
      • Anera Leadership Circle
  • Videos
  • Blog
  • Donate
    • Monthly Giving
    • Zakat Giving
    • More Ways to Give
  • Who We Are
  • What We Do
  • Where We Work
  • How to Help
  • Resources
  • Success Stories
  • Videos
  • Blog
Donate
COMMUNITY

Mashha Village Tackles Lebanon Trash Crisis

Like many other rural villages in Lebanon, Mashha struggled to accommodate the needs of refugees and local residents. The ongoing Lebanon trash crisis is felt by residents there, as well.

Like many other rural villages in Lebanon, Mashha struggled to accommodate the needs of refugees and local residents. The ongoing Lebanon trash crisis was felt by residents there, as well. “There was a huge demand for services, including electricity, sewage, water, and solid waste management,” says Mayor Khaled Zouhbi.

“There was a huge demand for services, including electricity, sewage, water, and solid waste management.”

Mashha trash

The Syrian war has deeply affected Mashha, which lies along the Syrian border. The village is in the Akkar Governorate, which is Lebanon’s poorest region and a home for thousands of Syrian refugees. Mashha now hosts more than 3,000 Syrians; more than half the population of this small town.

Anera is supporting Mashha in finding sustainable solutions for solid waste management and to lessen the burden felt by the municipality. Before the Syrian crisis, the municipality paid $500 monthly to dump trash at Srar Landfill. When the population surged due to the refugee crisis, the monthly payment doubled.

Mashha sorting facility from down in the valley
Mashha sorting facility from down in the valley

In cooperation with Mashha’s municipality, and with funds from Ajram Family Foundation, Anera implemented a holistic and sustainable project on waste management. The project includes community-based activities to raise awareness on environmentalism and the importance of recycling, as well as the establishment of sorting and composting facilities to treat waste properly. Through the sorting and composting facilities, the municipality can also generate income.

Early in 2017, Anera and Mashha inaugurated the sorting facility. Since then, the amount of waste has decreased by about 30 percent.

Inaugurating the new sorting facility.
Inaugurating the new sorting facility

Volunteers have also helped raise community awareness on the importance of composting organic waste. They delivered sorting bins to all 1400 households in Mashha to encourage sorting from source. Each household received three bins: one for solid waste, for for organic waste, and one for residuals. Anera recruited 10 volunteers to carry out the awareness campaign and bin distribution. All of the volunteers are women, and they come from both the local Syrian refugee and Lebanese host communities.

Mariam El Khan is a 21-year-old Syrian refugee and volunteer. She couldn’t pursue her education in Lebanon, and instead attended informal courses to pass the time. “Volunteering helps me meet new people and opens up horizons,” she says.

“Most importantly, the cause is really important for the good of the environment and our village.”

Mariam, volunteer in the Solid Waste Management Project in Mashha
Mariam, volunteer in the Solid Waste Management Project in Mashha

Mariam and her fellow volunteers took capacity-building training sessions on how to raise awareness among local families. Later, they organized door-to-door visits to ensure families followed proper sorting practices.

Lessening Burdens on Mashha Municipality

Mashha is the first municipality in Akkar that manages a composting facility. In addition, its new sorting facility has been functioning since last fall, and the recyclables are already being sold. The municipality uses the cash to pay for operations and the salaries of workers.

Workers at the Mashha sorting facility

The composting facility has decreased the amount of waste that Mashha has to send to Srar landfill by up to 80 percent. In turn, this has decreased disposal expenses. “We are looking forward to finding a solution for residuals, too,” notes Mayor Zouhbi. “With time, we will be able to manage our waste without needing to send it to landfills.”

Neighboring villages are contacting the Mashha municipality to express interest in the program. “In the coming months, about eight villages will be sending their trash to our facility,” says the mayor.

Maintaining Sustainable Grassroots Solutions

The project was implemented in two phases. In the initial phase, which started in 2016, the community started sorting waste and recyclables, and a sorting facility was built to process plastics, metals and paper. The facility has been operating successfully ever since.

Mashha sorting facility
Sorting bins distributed on the streets of Mashha

The second phase was launched with the aim of managing organic waste, which constitutes the largest portion of municipal waste. As such, the community mobilized to sort organic waste and build a composting facility to treat organic material. The integrated waste management system has brought Mashha closer to being a zero waste village. In addition to the environmental benefits of the project, the project has generated income for Mashha from selling recyclables and compost.

SHARE THIS STORY

Related Stories

Jaba'a, Rainwater, Drainage, flooding, channel, infrastructure

Flood-prone Palestinian town of Jaba’a gets drainage

Read More →
A refugee camp recycling project helps Ayman make ends meet for his family.

How A Refugee Camp Recycling Project Improves Livelihoods

Read More →

More About Anera

Anera addresses the development and relief needs of refugees and vulnerable communities in Palestine and Lebanon. 

Anera is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (tax-ID number 52-0882226). Your gift is secure and tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Contact Us

WHO WE ARE

Site Map

  • Who We Are
  • Where We Work
  • What We Do
  • How to Help
  • Donor Portal
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Stories
  • Join Our Team
  • 0%
of revenue spent on programs in Palestine and Lebanon

Follow Us on Social Media

© Anera, 2022 | Print This Page | Site Credit
  • FAQ
  • TRUSTED & RESPECTED
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SITE MAP
 Tweet
 Share
 WhatsApp
 E-mail
 Tweet
 Share
 WhatsApp
 E-mail
 Tweet
 Share
 LinkedIn
 WhatsApp
 E-mail