“We are very happy with this accomplishment. We used to avoid passing by this site, but now we can sit here, have fun, and enjoy our time. It is like a dream coming true,” said Hussam Hnayme from al-Bustan al-Kabir, Saida commenting on the rehabilitation of Saida dumpsite.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health and the Municipality of Saida organized a rehabilitation project that turned the garbage mountain in Saida to a green garden. The project was funded by the Lebanese Government and implemented through the Ministry of Environment and UNDP.
The inauguration ceremony of the garden took place in Saida on the 21st of April in the presence of the Minister of Environment, Mohammad Al Mashnouk, UNDP Representative, Philippe Lazzarini, and the Mayor of Saida, Mohammad Zuhair Al-Saudi.
The ceremony included displaying a documentary explaining the complete process of the rehabilitation of the site followed by a speech from the Mayor of Saida in which he talked about the importance of the accomplishment and thanked the people of Saida and the participant authorities.
H.E. Mr. Al Mashnouk, Minister of Environment, expressed his gratitude for the success of the project by saying: “we arrived here and witnessed the workers working in the land. I appreciate all the efforts from every single person participating in the success of this project.”
Saida dumpsite was located in the southern part of the city of Saida, at the sea front, only 200 meters from nearby residences and commercial units, which caused concerns on the environment and health of people in Saida. In addition, the dumpsite was the main factor for fires and caused great damages in the city.
Originally established in 1982, the dumpsite received about 300 tons of solid waste daily from 250,000 people living in 15 municipalities surrounding Saida. The waste mountain stretched 55 meters high from the surrounding terrain, and covered an area of 60,000m². Additionally, the dumpsite had no basal lining barrier and no leachate collection system, which led to recurring waste slides into the Mediterranean Sea, and invited countless complaints from local fishermen and residents.
“The garbage mountain had bad effects on the fishermen and their tools,” said Nazih Sonbol, a fisherman from Saida. We had to spend 4 hours crossing an area that should take no more than 1 hour”
After 35 years of having the dumpsite in the city, turning it into a lovely garden required taking several steps to treat the excavated waste and produce secondary construction material complying with local and EU standards
The first phase is the degasification that takes place in specialized small plant provided with filter sand pumps to extract the gas from the dump to be stored in tanks filled by active carbon. The 2nd phase is the sorting facility where the waste is separated into different elements: the heavy portion of waste (rocks) and the light waste (plastic and paper). The 3rd phase is the laboratory where French scientists analyses samples of waste to differentiate organic waste from non-organic waste. The final phase is the sanitary landfilling: site for the disposal of organic waste materials by burial.”
After that, a 33,000m2 garden was implemented with around 10,452 trees and plants, a playground for children, and a roman-style theatre.
The UNDP Resident Representative, Philippe Lazzarini, expressed great pleasure for removing this trash mountain saying: “Imagine six hectares of a horrible, nauseating, toxic stench that could be smelt from miles away! The waste would seep into the sea during the winter, often catch fire during the summer, and omit harmful toxic gases the whole year round.”
Mr. Lazzarini talked about the garbage mountain in Saida as part of the bigger trash crisis in Lebanon that needs to be solved as soon as possible. “For now, there is a goal to mainstream the transformation of waste to energy and to decentralize waste management, meaning that every group of municipalities will treat their own waste. This, I think, is a realistic starting point.”
“We are standing today over what was formerly known as the garbage mountain, the mountain the that gone forever and in my name and in the name of people of sida, I would like to welcome you in your public garden that replaces the garbage mountain” said Mayor of Saida, Mohammad Zuhair Al-Saudi.