1. RECYCLING FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
The first annual "sustainability week"
June 17-19, 2009 Beirut, Lebanon
Presented by
Nisrine Hougeiri
LACECO Architect & Engineers

2. Outline 1. Sustainability 1.1. Definition & Theory
1.2. Link to Waste Management
2. Hierarchy of Sustainable Municipal Waste Management Practices
3. Benefits of Recycling
4. Recycling at the National Context
4.1. History
4.2. Informal Recycling Practices
4.3. The Greater Beirut Area Experience
4.4. National Versus International Recovery Rates
5. Conclusions & Recommendations
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Recycling
National Context
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3. SUSTAINABILITY’S LINK TO WASTE MANAGEMENT
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4. Definition
The UN World Commission on Environment & Development defines Sustainable development as
“A development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs"(WECD, 1987).
The above definition calls for balancing the economic and social forces with the needs of the environment .
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5. Theory – Triple Bottom Line
Environmental
Social
Economic
Sustainable Development
The regenerative capacity of earth is directly affected by Society, the Environment and the Economy.
“Only when we balance the requirements of all three complementary forces will we be truly sustainable”
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6. Theory – Five Capitals Models
Natural Capital
Human Capital
Social Capital
Manufactured Capital
Financial Capital
Economic activity is centrally placed and is constrained by Social issues, which in turn are constrained by Environmental factors.
“All of the assets are necessary for human existence but as the central image makes clear, neither social not economic sustainability is possible unless environmental principles are recognized”
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7. Challenges – The Big Five
RESOURCES INPUTS
WASTE OUTPUT
Water
Resources
Energy
CITY
Waste (Solid, Liquid, Gas)
Transport
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8. MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
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9. Municipal Solid Waste – Generated Quantities
“The Arab region produces some 90 Million Tons of municipal solid waste every year” (AFED 2008 Report)
“In the United States they generated approximately 254 Million Tons of municipal solid waste in 2007” (USEPA 2007 MSW in US – Facts & Figures)
“Municipal Waste arisings in Europe are large and continue to increase. More than 306 Million Tons are estimated to be collected each year ” (European Environmental Agency)
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10. Municipal Solid Waste – Generation Rates
(AFED 2008)
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Recycling
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11. Municipal Solid Waste – Generation Rates
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12. Sustainable Waste Management– Hierarchy
Least Sustainable
Most Sustainable
Minimization
Reuse
RECYCLING
Waste Transformation
Landfilling
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National Context
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13. Worldwide Waste Management Practices
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Recycling
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14. Arab World Waste Management Practices
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15. Landfilling & Open dumps
Sustainable Waste Management– Hierarchy
Least Sustainable
Most Sustainable
Minimization
Reuse
RECYCLING
Waste Transformation
Landfilling
Least Practiced
Most practiced
RECYCLING
Waste Transformation
Landfilling & Open dumps
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Recycling
National Context
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16. RECYCLING Sustainability Municipal SWM Recycling Recycling
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17. Benefits of Recycling Decreased Waste Quantities
Natural Resources Conservation
Reduced Energy Consumption
Reduced Environmental Pollution
Economical Benefits
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18. Decreased Waste Quantities
Country
Organics
Paper
Plastics
Metals
Glass
Wood
Textile
Others
Total (%)
Egypt
50-60
10-25
3-12 -
100
Bahrain 35 28 6 12 5 8
KSA 37
28.5
5.2
8.3
4.6
6.4 2
Oman 40 26 11
Qatar 45 18 15 4 10 3
Kuwait 50 20
12.6
2.6
3.3
4.8
1.9
Yemen 55 14 13
1.5
14.5
Jordan 63
16.8
2.1
Syria 62 7 17
Iraq 1
1.1
1.6
32.3
Lebanon 58
2.4
6.6
Dubai 42 16
Abu Dhabi 49 9
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19. Decreased Waste Quantities
“Solid waste must not therefore be considered as worthless material that should be disposed of by the cheapest way possible. As a valuable resource, it can be recovered & re-utilized”
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20. Natural Resources Conservation
RECYCLING 1 ton of:
Steel Saves
1.3 tons of iron ore
0.7 tons of coal
0.062 tons of limestone
Paper Saves
17 trees
6.953 gallons of H2O
463 gallons of oil
3.06 cubic yards of landfill space
Plastic Saves
gallons of oil
Glass Saves
1.2 tons of virgin raw materials
(sand, limestone and soda ash)
Aluminum Saves
60t of Bauxite ore
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Recycling
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National Context
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21. Lifecycle – No Recycling
Manufacturing Process
Material Processing
Product Manufacture
Distribution
Mining
Environment, Air, Sea & land
use
Disposal
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22. Environment, Air, Sea & land
Lifecycle - Recycling
Manufacturing Process
Material Processing
Product Manufacture
Distribution
Mining
Environment, Air, Sea & land
use 3 2 1
Material
Recycling
Disposal
1: Direct Reuse
2: Remanufacture of recyclables without the need of reprocessing the product
3: Remanufacture of recyclables after reprocessing the product
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National Context
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23. Reduced Energy Consumption Cont’d
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24. Reduced Environmental Pollution
Manufacturing Process
Material Processing
Product Manufacture
Distribution
Mining
Environment, Air, Sea & land
use
Disposal
Environmental Pollution is associated with:
Every stage of a product development (extraction, refining, processing)
Distribution of the product
The ultimate disposal of the product
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25. Economic Benefits BENEFIT COST Externalities
Economic Value of Natural Resources
Revenues from the sale of recyclables
Externalities
Reduced Energy Cost for manufacturers
Employment Salaries
Cheaper than other WM practices
Initial Capital Investment
Additional Employment Opportunities
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National Context
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26. NATIONAL CONTEXT Sustainability Municipal SWM Recycling
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27. History of Recycling In Lebanon
In Lebanon the first attempt to recycle was initiated by scavengers during the civil war when scavengers appeared at dumpsites picking whatever could generate cash;
After the civil war recycling has been viewed from a different perspective by different parties:
Ecological Issue related to Environmental Protection;
A business opportunity with open Horizons
Throughout Lebanon, recycling is an activity practiced either informally or formally. But in both cases it is not the concern of the generating parties;
Informal recycling activities are practiced in the form of scavenging which in the case of Lebanon is a whole industry by itself;
The major formal recycling activity taking place in Lebanon is implemented by the government as part of an integrated waste management plan for the Greater Beirut Area where almost 50% of the Country’s waste is generated. The plan is operated by SUKOMI under the supervision of LACECO Architects & Engineers;
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National Context
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28. Informal Recycling Activities In the GBA
An estimate between 2,000 and 4,000 scavengers working in Beirut has been reported;
There are about 27 major collection points and about 20 small ones where the scavenged materials are stored before being sold;
60% of the brokers who own the collection points are Lebanese.
An active scavenger collects the following amounts daily:
Plastics (other than water bottles) : kgs
Water and soft drink bottles : kgs
Craft cardboard : kgs
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National Context
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29. Informal Recycling Efficiency - GBA
Item
UNIT
Value
Scavengers in GBA
person
Recovered Recyclables per Scavenger
Kg/day/Scavenger
Total Recovered Recyclables
Ton/day
% of Waste Formally Collected %
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30. Greater Beirut Area Experience
The Greater Beirut Area Project is an integrated waste management plan that serves the Greater Beirut Area and Part of Mount Lebanon. The plan was adopted in the year 1997 by the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) in consultation with the Ministry of Environment (MoE) and the Sector Implementation Unit (SIU-3) for the waste generated by the Greater Beirut Area (GBA) and part of Mount Lebanon Mohafazat.
The Project consists of the following components:
Two Waste Sorting and processing facilities;
One Warehouse for the storage of recovered recyclables;
One Composting Facility for composting part of the organic fraction of the waste;
One Engineering Sanitary landfill for the landfilling of the sorting plants’ rejects;
One Landfill for the landfilling of bulky items and construction waste.
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31. GBA Waste Management Plan
KARENTINA
Municipal Solid Waste (2234 tons/day)
AMROUSSIEH
Manual Sorting
Other Domestic Waste
Recyclables
Bulky Items
WAREHOUSE
BSALIM LANDFILL
NAAMEH
LANDFILL
CORAL
FARMERS
Mechanical Sorting
CLIENT
Remaining
Organics
Compost
Baling
Rejects
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32. Rejects to Sanitary Landfill
GBA Waste Sorting Facilities
Bulky Items Cardboard
Tires
Inclined
Conveyor
Receiving Area
Manual Sorting
Bag Opener
Collection Vehicle
Conveyor
Metals
Conveyor
Trommel 1
(14 mm)
4 Manual Sorting lines
Conveyor
Conveyor
Baling Wrapping
Magnetic Separator
Oversized Materials
Conveyor
Trommel 2
(8 mm)
Paper
Glass
Tin Al
Plastics
Rejects to Sanitary Landfill
Conveyor
Magnetic Separator
Metals
Fine Organic Material
(Compost)
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33. GBA Waste Sorting Facilities – General Photos
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34. GBA Waste Sorting Facilities – General Photos
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35. National Formal Recyclables Recovery Rates
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36. National Vs International Recycling Recovery
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37. CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
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38. Conclusions & Recommendations
There are enough recyclables in the Municipal Solid Waste Stream to make it a valuable resource rather than a worthless material;
For a sustainable waste management plan, recycling should be integrated as a key and efficient component of any integrated waste management system;
In order to maximize the benefits of recycling, recyclables should be recovered at the source of generation prior to their contamination with the rest of the waste components;
Accordingly, the public community and the parties generating the waste should be involved in the implementation of recycling activities.
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