The Koura district is home to around 72,900 Lebanese residents and 10,940 refugees. The closure of the local dumpsite in 2019 resulted in a rise in harmful practices such as illegal waste dumping and burning, which has fueled heightened communal tensions. In response, USAID’s Community Support Program is providing a sustainable solution to the district’s solid crisis improving the capacities of Amioun Material Recovery Facility (AMRF) to receive and process recyclables from 19 villages, distributing 168 new recyclable bins, while implementing community awareness campaigns on sorting at source. So far, to upgrade AMRF, CSP has delivered one extra vertical baler and one glass crusher to AMRF, and has finalized preparations to install a truck scale at the facility.

This activity would help reduce harmful environmental practices in Koura district, while in parallel increasing the revenue for AMRF by treating higher volumes of recycling. CSP expects to complete the activity by the end of May 2023.

“This intervention by USAID/CSP is improving the quality of work at AMRF, while increasing the facility’s efficiency,” stated Fajr el Ahmad, worker at the AMRF.