USAID/Lebanon has awarded ECODIT the Diverting Waste by Encouraging Reuse and Recycling (DAWERR) Activity, a five-year, $15 million project that will establish sustainable and replicable integrated solid waste diversion and valorization solutions in rural areas of Lebanon. The DAWERR activity is part of the USAID/Lebanon Initiative to Deliver Essential Assistance and Services (IDEAS) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), a funding mechanism that addresses the challenge of improving essential service delivery through clusters of municipalities, in partnership with the private and not-for-profit sectors.
An integrated, sustainable solid waste management (SWM) strategy that encourages the reduction, reuse, recycling and management of waste to protect human health and the natural environment is greatly needed in Lebanon, where SWM has been addressed mostly through a series of temporary fixes and emergency plans, such as rudimentary dumpsites, open burning, and non-sanitary landfills. Improper management of solid waste can affect water sources and cause adverse health impacts. Moreover, land disposal of solid waste has led to episodic disputes between communities over landfill site location, which has fueled intercommunal tensions in some cases and brought waste management projects to a halt.
Through the DWERR activity, ECODIT and its partners—Compost Baladi, Berytech, and ECODIT Liban—will support USAID/Lebanon to introduce financially sustainable solutions that increase the reuse, recycling and monetization of solid waste and reduce the amount of “residual” solid waste that goes into landfills. ECODIT will build the capacity and commitment of municipalities to provide improved SWM services, empower communities to sort at the source and participate actively in various stages of the recycling value chains, and develop successful business models with the private sector that create green economic opportunities. The results will be improved health and social welfare and expanded economic horizons.
“ECODIT has a long history of working with USAID to promote a more prosperous, healthy and environmentally sustainable Lebanon, including partnering with communities to establish the Lebanon Mountain Trail—Lebanon’s national long-distance hiking trail and a hub for rural tourism,” said ECODIT President Joseph Karam. “We are thrilled at this opportunity to deepen our partnership with USAID/Lebanon to help improve livelihoods, health, and the environment.”
ECODIT is a U.S.-based small business with 27 years of experience working with governments, businesses and local communities to advance environmentally and socially responsible development around the world. The firm has implemented several SWM and livelihood projects, both in Lebanon and around the world. To learn more about ECODIT, visit www.ecodit.com and follow the firm’s social media accounts on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.