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 waste practices such as illegal waste dumping and burning. Moreover, the multifaceted economic crisis limited the abilities of municipalities in the area to purchase recyclables sorting bins, which has fueled communal tensions over waste management. In response, USAID’s Community Support Program (CSP) is offering a sustainable solution to the district’s solid waste crisis by providing equipment and improving the capacity of the Amioun Material Recovery Facility (AMRF) to receive and process recyclables from 19 Koura villages. In addition, CSP is distributing 168 new recyclable bins across the villages while implementing community awareness campaigns on sorting at source to promote sustainability.

On April 18, 2023, CSP equipped the AMRF with a weigh scale truck and installed a vertical baler and glass crusher during the first week of April. This intervention is expected to be completed by the end of May 2023 following the rehabilitation of the facility’s electrical works. This activity is helping to improve the environment in Koura and increase AMRF’s revenue through recycling a higher volume of waste, while at the same time mitigating intercommunal tensions.

“This newly delivered truck weigh scale will enable us to measure the amount of recyclables collected from every village. This will enhance the transparency of municipal waste collection and improve the waste management process at AMRF”, stated Malek Fares, Mayor of Amioun.