Can Lebanon finally solve its waste crisis? A new bill aims to find out — the details

Report by Ghida Fayad, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian 

With every new outbreak of Lebanon’s waste crisis, officials announce plans, projects, and strategies to solve the problem — yet none have ever been implemented. The situation remains the same: garbage piled between homes, scattered along roadsides, and dumped in random landfills and incinerators.

The Environment Ministry now appears to have a more sustainable plan — a draft law that would allow municipalities to recover waste management costs. The ministry said addressing the waste crisis requires funding for collection, sorting, and environmentally friendly processing.

One of the key solutions proposed is decentralization in managing the crisis, meaning each municipality would finance its own waste management system.

If approved, the law would authorize municipalities to impose monthly fees on households, businesses, and institutions within their jurisdictions to cover the costs of waste management. 

Residential units and commercial properties would be classified according to their type, size, use, and number of occupants, with fees ranging from $4 to $12.

This would allow municipalities to generate their own revenue, enforce waste sorting at the source, and handle collection and treatment without waiting for state funding or foreign aid.

To ensure effective fee collection, the ministry suggested that municipalities hire private companies to handle payments, avoiding direct confrontation with residents.

In this way, citizens would become part of the solution. While it may seem like an added expense, officials say it is far cheaper than the cost of deteriorating public health and environmental pollution.

The draft law was placed on the agenda of the most recent parliamentary session and now awaits a legislative meeting for a final vote.