Promoting a Green, Healthy Lifestyle in Lebanon through Integrated Waste Management

Mastercard Foundation Scholars and The Resolution Social Venture Challenge

Lebanon. After the Government of Lebanon closed down the country’s largest garbage disposal site, the city of Tripoli was left with limited alternatives for trash collection.

Salam Helwany, Hussein al Zoaby, Hiba Afyouny, Nourhane Saeed, Hisham Khrayzat, and Rim Awik have teamed up to create a social venture called Green Shift. The project aims to implement sustainable strategies in various sectors, including solid waste management and clean water, promoting a green, healthy lifestyle among Tripoli’s citizens.

Tripoli’s principal dumpsite received up to 450 tons of waste on a daily basis. When it reached capacity, an alternative dumpsite was not provided, leaving locals with no option but to dump their waste anywhere.

“Walking around Tripoli, one will meet the awful stench from heaps of trash scattered all over or suffocate from the smoke from the burning trash,” said Salam. “The pollution is a total menace for a person living in such an urban town.”

A weak waste management system and a lack of sorting capacity have been the driving reasons why the government has been unable to find a lasting solution to waste disposal in Lebanon. The government’s new proposal to purchase incinerators has raised fear among a panel of experts at the American University of Beirut, as they are both expensive and environmentally hazardous when used incorrectly.

Green Shift aims to provide environmental education, awareness, participation, and environmentally sustainable practices to Lebanese youth, starting with seven selected public and private schools. Green Shift will lead two awareness campaigns and one workshop for every school on how to sort their daily waste.

“The people of Tripoli do not have an environmentally friendly lifestyle. They lack awareness and responsibility for sorting waste and don’t necessarily understand the importance of living in a green, healthy environment,” said Salam. Helwany and Hussein al Zoaby are also Mastercard Foundation Scholars, selected for their academic talent, social consciousness, and leadership qualities.

Green Shift will install bins for sorting plastic in the seven schools selected for the project and will be linked to the recycling companies in Tripoli, reducing daily municipal solid waste by 40 percent. Proceeds from sorting and selling plastic will go toward implementing the second stage of the project.

“Phase One will be concerned with creating a recyclable collections operator in Tripoli and linking it to the recycling companies. In this way, recycling companies will be paying us and this money will be invested in the development of the recyclable collections operator and the purchase of additional bins to cover more areas in the city and moving from the schools of Tripoli to the streets. With enough profits, Green Shift will cover the streets of the entire city,” said Hussein.

The project will then shift to green choices, encouraging the community to make the switch from plastic bags to reusable and biodegradable bags through an awareness program to promote healthy and sustainable choices for the residents of Tripoli. A third stage of the project will focus on composting.

“The third phase will be concerned with the organic waste generated by households in the city. The main goal is to develop a partnership with a composting company, inform people on how sorting and composting is done, and promote composting in the city. If we can sell compost, it will create job opportunities,” said Salam.

Green Shift won the Resolution Social Venture Challenge in 2018, a competition that rewards compelling leadership and promising social ventures led by youth. These young leaders earned a fellowship that includes seed funding, mentorship, and access to a network of young global change-makers to pursue impactful projects in their communities. A collaboration between the Mastercard Foundation and The Resolution Project, the Resolution Social Venture Challenge provides a pathway to action for socially responsible young leaders who want to create change that matters in their communities.

The team believes it is an agent of change in Lebanon.

“Green Shift contributes to the community because it is introducing a new service that everyone can use. We turned our passion and beliefs into something that can benefit everyone and we are eager to have a positive impact on our society. We want to be the spark for the upcoming generations to overcome persistent societal problems and find innovative solutions. We want Green Shift to be an inspiration for everyone who wants to ignite social changes,” said Hussein.

Pius Sawa is a freelance journalist based in Kenya. His stories have appeared in Reuters, Farm Radio International, and Inter Press Service.