Originally home to around 1,500 residents, in recent years the town of Majdlaya in North Lebanon experienced an influx of some 28,500 people, including around 5,000 refugees; yet the municipality only receives a minimal budget to cover the needs of the original residents. As a result, it struggles to provide essential public services, including solid waste management. Majdlaya relies on just 15 plastic bins for all 30,000 residents, leading many to dispose of their waste on the streets, which has fueled growing tensions between longstanding residents and newcomers. In response, USAID’s Community Support Program (CSP) is providing up to 30 steel recyclables bins of 1,700-liter capacity, to cover the needs of all residents. So far, CSP has installed around 20 bins in strategic locations across the town and is collaborating with the municipality to ensure that all recyclables will be transported to the Bechmizzine Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), which CSP is also equipping under another activity. In parallel, CSP’s technical assistance team is implementing a community-driven awareness campaign to promote best practices on sorting at source. This activity aims to reduce tensions among the community by improving Majdlaya’s recyclables waste management system, and is expected to be completed by the end of October 2022.

“These new bins are enabling us to dispose of our recyclable waste effectively, which will encourage students and parents to sort at source,” stated Ms Reina el Kareh, Principal of Majdlaya’s Public School.