The town of Bechmizzine in the Koura District of North Lebanon operates a recyclables Material Recovery Facility (MRF) that has been serving the surrounding villages for more than five years. However, the devaluation of the national currency coupled with the closure of the local landfill in 2019 impacted the ability of the MRF to collect and process recyclable waste. As a result, the villages resorted to reducing their waste collection, which led to rising tensions throughout Koura District, where host communities blamed the refugee population for exacerbating the issue. In response, USAID’s Community Support Program (CSP) is designing a sustainable recyclable waste management model that includes technical and material support to the Bechmizzine MRF and installing recyclables collection points across 20 villages in Koura. On November 18, 2022, CSP delivered and installed a backup generator and associated equipment to facilitate the expansion of the MRF’s operations, and CSP aims to finalize the fencing by the end of the month. This intervention seeks to improve the collection rate and operations of the Bechmizzine MRF and improve recyclable waste management for around 44,220 Lebanese residents and 7,866 refugees across 20 villages.

“Since the facility is not receiving state electricity and our existing solar system will not cover the needs during the winter months, this backup generator came at a crucial time and will ensure that our operations are sustained,” said Dr. Fawzi Kalash, Mayor of Bechmizzine.