The Zahle Municipality Council - Mukhayal and Taanayel has issued a decision to impose a fee on the disposal and management of waste generated by the tents and structures located on properties within its jurisdiction. This comes after modifying a previous decision that required these camps to be charged based on rental value, separating it from the landfill fee. The new decision will take effect starting from the beginning of November, specifically today, Tuesday, and the fee will be collected from property owners rather than directly from camp residents, every three months according to procedures.
This practical step followed extensive discussions with donor organizations, which the Zahle Mayor attempted to involve in waste management fees for the camps they support, but without success. The recent decision complements a previous decision made by the municipality back in 2016, which was amended a few months ago, equating the fees for tent residents with the rental values imposed on Lebanese citizens. This move aims to remedy, at least partially, a financial imbalance caused by the increase in the exchange rate of the dollar on one hand and the rising volume of waste produced by camps in Zahle city and the 26 municipalities using Zahle's sanitary landfill on the other hand. The municipality estimates that waste from these camps comprises about 40 percent of the total waste reaching the landfill.
The Zahle Municipality presented to donor agencies a report detailing the costs incurred for waste management, indicating that the total daily waste from Zahle and all municipalities in the district amounts to 265 tons, leading to a daily operational cost of $5,830. Approximately 100 tons of this waste come solely from Syrian refugee camps.
According to the amendment of decision 319 issued on September 13, a study prepared by the Zahle Municipality shows that each tent produces about 1.5 tons of solid waste annually, arriving at the municipality devoid of any recyclable materials that could offset some of the costs, with the cost of waste management reaching $42 per ton. However, the Zahle Municipality will charge landowners for each tent they rent only 75,000 LBP monthly, after deciding to adopt a fee of $13 applicable to other waste reaching its landfill from various villages in the district. This operational cost will be calculated based on the market exchange rate rather than the official rate used for other municipalities, with the fee subject to adjustment according to the exchange rate and the rental value of each tent.
The Zahle Municipality's decision to implement this fee is expected to incentivize other municipalities in the district, which also dispose of their waste at the Zahle landfill, to adopt a similar fee on property owners renting space to displaced persons within their areas, enabling them to cover the costs of the waste generated by their residence in fresh dollars as well. Yet, this topic is still under discussion regarding its implementation method, following several meetings among the mayors, one of which included the Bekaa Governor since last June.
The implementation of the Zahle Municipality's decision is expected to curb the establishment of residential clusters for Syrian refugees in its jurisdiction, particularly since the decision also requires property owners renting out land for housing to notify the municipality of any decrease or increase in the number of tents. The municipality will verify this using its resources. The Zahle Municipality has conducted a field survey of the number of tents in Zahle, listing their occupants and the property numbers along with the identity of their owners as outlined in the decision. Consequently, the establishment of any new camps will be prohibited, subjecting them to immediate removal without the need for prior warnings, along with imposing fines and marking the property as a violation.
