Sources told LBCI on Wednesday that all municipalities unanimously agreed during Parliament’s Finance and Budget Committee session, which was held to discuss the waste crisis, that “they are not ready and need one year before carrying out any role to solve the waste crisis.”
Following the meeting, MP Ibrahim Kanaan, who heads the committee, stressed that an agreement was reached on the need to remove trash from the streets.
“Municipalities made it clear that they are not ready to manage their waste in their districts at the time being,” Kanaan said.
He also pointed out that the decentralization of the waste management sector is the ultimate solution, adding that a coordination and supervision panel will be formed to follow up on this final plan in coordination with the authorities.
“We will follow up on the issue with relevant officials in the upcoming hours to implement what we agreed on and put in place the operational frameworks," the lawmaker added.
MP Hagop Pakradounian withdrew form the session, stressing that the Tashnag Party's mission was to facilitate the government's task when Prime Minister Tammam Salam had warned of resigning over the crisis, however the party's first condition was that the old mountain of trash be removed.
Prior to the meeting, Tshnag Party leader MP Pakradounian asserted that the Bourj Hammoud landfill will only open when guarantees are received that the government’s plan will be implemented.