Civic Awareness & Eco-sustainable Development
Fondation Diane Launches the “Waste Diversion Management Consortium” to Present long-term and radical solutions to the waste crisis in Lebanon
Why and how was born the Consortium?
As landfills are reaching their capacities and waste collection contracts were about to expire, Fondation Diane created on August 2022 the “Waste Diversion Management Consortium”, a group of 16+ start-ups looking to help in solving the waste crisis in Lebanon through a waste diversion plan!
The “Waste Diversion Management Consortium” was founded with the main objective of creating an ecological alternative to the unhealthy and polluting way of collecting and managing waste. The practice currently used by large companies, backed by governmental contracts, leads to waste being dumped in landfills.
We learned that by properly sorting and diverting waste before it reaches the bins, you can ensure that materials could be recycled or reused, rather than simply being discarded or dumped. Through the creation of a Waste Diversion Management Consortium, we intend to bring together like-minded enterprises and organizations to work towards this common goal.
*The 1st Pilot Project of its Kind in Hazmieh!
The Consortium will start with a pilot project in Hazmieh – the first medium-sized project of its kind – to test our approach and make the necessary adjustments before scaling up.
An integrated awareness campaign will be launched soon at Hazmieh – Mar Takla with the aim to encourage the residents to:
- Sort their waste at source, not only the Non-recyclable waste (to be dumped in the municipal bins), but also the Recyclables (solid waste, fabric waste … and mostly electronic waste, knowing its hazardous implications to the health and the environment when its reaches the soil and the water), and most importantly the organic waste, which accounts for 52% of the total household waste in Lebanon.
- Return their Solid waste to “Yalla Return” kiosk and collection center in Hazmieh. Their sorted waste will be weighed based on each type of waste (plastic, cans, cardboard, paper and glass bottles & jars, etc…) and the residents will be paid for their hard work.
- Return their e-waste to the red Ecoserv Bin next to the kiosk
- Return their old/unwanted clothes & fabric to the blue FabricAid bin, next to the kiosk
- As for the Non-Recyclables, residents are asked to discard them in the municipal bins
- The Organic waste will be placed inside the 17L bucket distributed by Fondation Diane team. Once full, the bucket is to be placed in the designated area in front of the building. The buckets will be serviced 3 days a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday)
Therefore, it is important to educate the public about the importance of sorting waste at source and to provide them with the necessary tools and resources to do so. Overall, the Consortium has the potential to make a significant impact on Waste Management National Policies, change behavior, engage authorities and attract international stakeholders.
* The “Waste Diversion Management Consortium” encompasses 10+ start-ups specialized in waste management sector in Lebanon (solid waste, textile waste, electronic waste, organic and agricultural waste, and others,…), who are bringing forward remedies to this issue and already doing a great job in reducing waste going to landfills and increasing quantities of recycled, composted and upcycled waste. These start-ups are: Nadeera, Compost Baladi, Recyco, FabricAid, ReFuse, Ecoserv, Biclean, Green Community, Lebanon Waste Management, Green Mount Recycle, M&R services and Green Track.
