The town of Bechmizzine in the Koura District of North Lebanon operates a recyclables material recovery facility (MRF) that started more than five years ago to serve 11 surrounding villages. The closure of the local landfill in Koura district in 2019 led to an alarming increase in the volume of wastes accumulating on the streets and to tension among residents and refugees. To decrease the volume of generated wastes and ease the tension, USAID through the Community Support Project in 2021 started assisting Bechmezzine municipality to expand its material recovery facility operations by serving 20 villages. CSP succeeded in the provision of recyclables collection bins to 20 villages, implemented community awareness on sorting at source, and provided recyclables crushers, balers, and a truck weighing scale to aid in the operation of the facility. In March 2023, CSP successfully installed a backup generator and completed all related electrical works. CSP is now upgrading the facility building to establish a worker resting, eating, and washing area which will ensure respectable working conditions at the facility. This entire CSP intervention in Koura for recyclables recovery aims at improving the collection, capacity, and operations of the Bechmizzine recyclables material recovery facility and at promoting collaboration among more than 20 municipalities to improve recyclables recovery for 44,220 Lebanese residents and 7,866 refugees.

Commenting on the USAID-funded back-up generator, Dr. Fawzi Kalash, Mayor of Bechmizzine Municipality said “Because the national electricity supply is absent, we are solely relying on solar energy, which does not provide enough energy to sustain operations in winter. The USAID-funded generator for the MRF provided recently will enable us to sustain recyclables recovery operations all year-round.”