Lead organization

German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation (GIZ).

Partners

Municipalities of Beirut, Rabat, and Tunis.

Ministries of Environment of Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia; The World Bank.

Challenges

• Solid waste affects quality of life and public health if not appropriately managed.
• Cost of environmental degradation and its socioeconomic impact will need to be better evaluated and broader shared.

Program Objective

To encourage cities to invest more in the management of solid waste through evaluations of the cost of environmental degradation.

Selected Results

• Deepening knowledge/increased client capacity: Most countries in the MENA Region lack reliable data on the solid waste sector. The Center for Mediterranean Integration’s (CMI’s) method of measuring the cost of environmental degradation and related data gives municipalities evidence-based arguments for investing in the management of municipal waste in a cost-effective way. The comparison of three case studies (Beirut, Rabat, Tunis) fostered a constructive dialogue among decision makers.
  A restitution workshop in Marseille (April 22-23, 2014) compared these regional capitals, discussed the difficulties involved in solid waste management, and led to a better understanding of related socioeconomic aspects. During the fourth SWEEP-Net (Regional Network for Integrated Waste Management in the MENA Region) forum in Amman (May 12-15, 2014), the outcomes of the Marseille meeting were presented to nine Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, West Bank and Gaza, Yemen). Following the forum, Jordan, along with the universities of Algiers and Sfax, expressed interest in using the CMI method.
  The forum concluded that: health and well-being should be drivers of solid waste management; there is a need for work on cost recovery and institutional clarification; exploitation of waste (energy, recycling) is a valuable option but takes time and effort; and the sector offers potential for job creation. 
• Improved network: The forum considered propositions to initiate peer-to-peer city-to-city learning visits and to share knowledge with secondary cities. A regional SWEEP-Net network was established but will need more support to become a sustainable initiative.