“This is a political crisis, where the political dimension overshadows the environmental and health aspects,” says MP Najat Saliba, a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Environment, in an interview with Daraj. Saliba explains that successive Lebanese governments and parliaments have legalized environmental crimes while warlords exploited the chaos of armed conflict to reclaim areas on the coast using rubble—whether fit for use or not—amid a population preoccupied with securing basic necessities.
Nearly three weeks after the ceasefire agreement took effect, the Lebanese government still lacks a clear plan to handle construction and demolition waste. On December 7, the Cabinet convened at the Benoit Barakat Barracks in Tyre, approving measures for damage assessment, debris removal, and delegating responsibilities among government bodies. The Cabinet also allocated an urgent advance of 4 trillion Lebanese pounds, according to Information Minister Ziad Makari. However, Makari could not answer journalists’ questions about the location or mechanism for managing this waste, leaving many unanswered questions about its fate.
One of Lebanon’s Most Devastating Wars
The amount of construction and demolition waste generated by Israel’s recent war on Lebanon is estimated at 50 to 100 million tons, according to a policy brief by the Nature Conservation Center at the American University of Beirut (AUB). This far exceeds the 6 million tons recorded during the 2006 July War.
A World Bank report estimates the recent war inflicted $8.5 billion in damages on Lebanon, with housing emerging as one of the most affected sectors. The report estimates 100,000 housing units were damaged, 18 percent of which were completely destroyed. However, this figure does not cover the full extent of the war, from September 23 to the November 27 ceasefire. According to researcher Mohamad Shamseddine of Information International, “48,000 buildings were completely destroyed, 32,000 partially damaged, and 146,000 suffered minor damages, amounting to a total of 221,000 housing units.”
In a series of roundtable discussions organized by AUB’s Nature Conservation Center, Environment Minister Nasser Yassin described the recent conflict as “one of the most destructive wars in Lebanon’s history.” He noted that the term “Not in My Backyard” is often used when discussing Lebanon’s waste crisis. In this context, Yassin highlighted that “the biggest obstacle to removing and sustainably managing debris is finding a suitable plot of land for debris management.” He explained that “a pile of debris still sits near the Beirut port as a result of the 2020 explosion, and we have yet to remove it.” Yassin emphasized that “the Ministry of Environment has the funding, technology, and determination to clear this debris sustainably, relying on the principles of a circular economy and recycling.”
The Ministry of Environment has issued a directive titled Environmental Guidelines for Managing War Rubble, based on Lebanon’s Environmental Protection Law No. 444/2002 and the Integrated Solid Waste Management Law No. 80/2018. The guidelines prioritize degraded areas within each governorate, specifically quarries, as potential dumping sites. The directive includes a list of identified sites, prepared through field and aerial surveys by the Lebanese Army’s Geographic Affairs Directorate, which revealed the existence of 1,235 quarries nationwide.
The Ministry also stressed the importance of sorting rubble to separate hazardous materials for proper disposal under Decree No. 5606/2019. It has also sent official correspondence to relevant authorities requiring the recycling of excavation waste in new construction projects.
Proposals Contradict International Agreements
After a December 5 Cabinet meeting, Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh proposed the only solution for rubble in Beirut’s southern suburbs was dumping it near Costa Brava. Reports also suggested Tyre’s coastline as another potential dumping site.
MP Najat Saliba strongly opposed these proposals, telling Daraj: “Dumping debris into the sea is prohibited. It is an outdated, harmful practice devised by war criminals to claim more coastal land and extend their influence.” Saliba added that such actions violate several international agreements, including the Barcelona, Basel, Stockholm, and Rotterdam Conventions, as well as the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She further criticized the idea of using Tyre’s coastline, highlighting its global significance as a nesting ground for endangered sea turtles. “It should be a world-class tourist destination, not a dumping ground for debris,” Saliba insisted.
Lawyer Jad Tohme explained in an interview with Daraj that “Lebanon is committed to protecting the marine environment under two international agreements: the Barcelona Convention, which aims to safeguard the Mediterranean Sea from pollution and prohibits activities that could degrade the marine environment, including unregulated landfilling; and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which obliges states to protect the marine environment and prevent pollution from human activities, such as random dumping or actions harmful to marine life.” In this context, MP Najat Saliba emphasized the importance of “taking serious action rather than merely making commitments to the international community.”
Sea Dumping Under the Pretext of Emergency
The National Strategy for Integrated Solid Waste Management came to light after more than four decades of Lebanon’s waste crisis. However, its core issue remains unchanged: the absence of serious solutions for the problem of construction and demolition waste. The strategy outlines “developing action plans for construction and demolition waste” within an estimated two-year timeframe, as well as plans to design, establish or update, operate, and maintain sanitary landfills for such waste. It aims to achieve a processing rate of 25% within ten years and 50% within twenty years. Yet, the Minister of Environment clarified in his aforementioned statement that no sanitary landfills for construction and demolition waste currently exist in Lebanon.
Environmental management specialist and member of the Waste Management Coalition, Samar Khalil, pointed out: “The issue of demolition waste is usually addressed in passing, but there is no serious engagement with the matter.”
Decree No. 8735/1974 on public cleanliness prohibits the disposal of “building rubble, excavation soil, stones, and similar materials” in “waterways, their banks, and public maritime property.” Instead, the decree allows for the disposal of such waste “at construction sites that require it or on private properties with slopes, lowlands, or pits, where land-use regulations do not prohibit altering the nature of the land.” However, according to the updated master plan for closing and rehabilitating random dumpsites in Lebanon, the number of construction and demolition waste dumpsites reached 166 in 2011 and increased to 324 by 2016.
Initial plans to reclaim the waterfront emerged after the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990). Construction and demolition waste generated from the reconstruction of downtown Beirut between 1991 and 1998 was dumped at the “Normandy” site, which had been used as a landfill for solid waste during the war. This area became known as the Beirut Waterfront and later as BIEL, when the Lebanese Company for the Development and Reconstruction of Beirut Central District (Solidere) reclaimed the landfill as part of the downtown Beirut reconstruction project.
In 2006, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) developed several options and scenarios for managing and disposing of construction and demolition waste. However, according to Samar Khalil, an environmental management specialist and a member of the Waste Management Coalition, “Most of this waste ended up in the sea or in random dumps designated for construction and demolition debris.”
A 2010 report by the Ministry of Environment stated that debris from the July War was transported from Beirut’s southern suburbs to four random sites, two of which were near the sea, one on the Choueifat road, and another near Burj Al-Barajneh airport road. In Baalbek-Hermel, debris was dumped in an abandoned quarry and other locations on the outskirts of Baalbek. In the south, the waste was either repurposed for building roads and structures or piled up on available land.
Following the 2020 Beirut port explosion, multiple experiments were conducted under the “Rubble to Mountains” initiative. This project involved collecting debris at the Bakalian site, where it remains stored to this day, according to Khalil.
After the September 2024 war, Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced the receipt of proposals to remove debris and rubble. In a previous cabinet session, it was agreed to distribute tasks between the Council of the South and the Higher Relief Council, awarding debris removal contracts through direct agreements. However, resorting to the “emergency circumstances” rationale in the post-war phase to bypass mandatory legal provisions—especially public procurement laws—in order to sign direct contracts “reflects an attempt by Lebanese authorities to exploit people’s suffering for personal gain, using patronage and corruption as a means to achieve it,” said lawyer Jad Tohme. He emphasized the need to discuss such projects with environmental organizations in Lebanon to develop a unified national plan for optimal debris management that ensures complete transparency.
Engaging environmental organizations and involving citizens in decision-making processes aligns with the 16 principles related to states’ obligations under human rights laws to guarantee the right to a safe and healthy environment.
Government Responsibility for a Healthy Environment
The nature of regular debris differs significantly from that resulting from armed conflicts. Samar Khalil explained to Daraj: ” The current debris includes mixed waste, such as household furniture, wooden items, electrical and electronic materials, and chemicals, which were found in destroyed homes, factories, and farms.”
Experts emphasize the necessity of laboratory testing to identify the contents of this debris. Khalil noted that “war debris might contain cluster bombs, asbestos, chemical and electronic waste, or even depleted uranium if confirmed.”
Asbestos, for instance, is a fibrous material once widely used in construction, including Eternit sheets, pipes, vinyl tiles, and heat-insulating fibers. Khalil added that as these materials break apart, asbestos fibers are released, and inhaling them can lead to severe and fatal diseases.
A World Health Organization (WHO) assessment of six main types of asbestos concluded that they cause cancer in humans and chronic respiratory diseases such as asbestosis (lung fibrosis) and other severe lung conditions. Despite this, the Lebanese Ministry of Health has not issued guidelines to protect municipal workers or citizens involved in debris removal from asbestos-related health risks.
Khalil highlighted the adverse impact of dumping such materials into the sea. It would harm marine habitats, ecosystems, and biodiversity. If the debris contains chemical pollutants, it would directly degrade seawater quality. She elaborated, “Many coastal areas rely heavily on groundwater, and as these resources are depleted, seawater intrudes into the aquifers, reintroducing marine pollutants into the groundwater we depend on.” MP Saliba emphasized that the environmental and health impacts of dumping construction waste into the sea would extend far beyond the immediate dumping site.
According to lawyer Jad Tohme, the above issues relate to the fundamental human right to live in a healthy environment, which guarantees a safe and secure life. This right entails protecting air, water, and soil from pollution and preserving biodiversity.
Lebanon’s Environmental Protection Law No. 444/2002 governs pollution control and grants the Ministry of Environment monitoring and regulatory authority in areas like industrial pollution and waste management. However, Lebanon faces significant challenges in enforcing these regulations. Taameh stressed that disposing of war debris into the sea requires adherence to legal procedures, starting with environmental impact assessments. These studies must evaluate the effects on marine ecosystems, such as coral reefs and marine habitats. Any disposal must also comply with international agreements, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea.
MP Saliba proposed a sustainable method for managing debris. This approach involves processing waste materials and selling reusable items such as iron, aluminum, furniture, and gypsum boards. She also suggested establishing a facility to crush concrete for use in manufacturing lightweight building blocks or filling voids left by random quarries. Samar Khalil supported this by emphasizing the need to transport debris to pre-designated sites that adhere to environmental standards, ensuring these locations are distant from groundwater, water bodies, and residential areas.
