by Rana Moussaoui AYTARUN, Lebanon (AFP) – The large building near the border with Israel was already earmarked to be a green pioneer in Lebanon when it was blown apart by two missiles during the short sharp summer war of 2006. Now the demolished building has been rebuilt — and with it a ground-breaking environmental project has risen from its own ashes. In a country with serious waste management problems, the war-ravaged small town of Aytarun in the south lies in the vanguard of recycling, setting an example it is hoped will be followed by others. Located just metres (yards) from the frontier, Aytarun was devastated by the 34-day war two years ago. On the village’s edge is the Centre for Solid Waste Management a 700-square-metre (875-square-yard) structure rebuilt with Italian assistance after the conflict.
The centre refuses to dump any waste at all. "Everything is recycled, nothing is thrown away," says Ziad Abichaker of Cedar Environmental, a group that specialises in recycling technology. "We wanted to create the example of a rural town which not only gets rid of its waste but also uses it to benefit organic agriculture. "Some things are stored as we research and develop outlets for them," Abichaker adds, saying shoes can be used in a special cement for the manufacture of public benches. The facility’s five employees patiently sort through potato peelings, plastic bottles and old clothing before recycling proper can begin. In many rural areas of Lebanon municipalities burn solid waste, causing an unbearable stench and often sparking wildcat forest fires. "People did not like the smell of burning rubbish. This project is a blessing for them," Abichaker says of the traditional method of incineration. Sawsan Bou Fakhreddine of the Association for Forests, Development and Conservation says domestic waste forms 90 percent of all the country’s rubbish.