Syria Reportedly Ready to Help with Waste Crisis as Shehayyeb Says Akkar Landfill Almost Complete

Lebanese personalities have contacted Syrian authorities to ask for help to resolve Lebanon's waste management crisis, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The daily said that Damascus has approved to treat the garbage in its territories or transfer it to Iraq, which has also expressed readiness to accept part of the waste.

According to al-Joumhouria, Syria's acceptance stems from the large number of Syrian refugees that are residing in Lebanon.

However, it said that the contacts made by the Lebanese personalities through unofficial channels are yet at their beginning.

The initiative would be considered as an option if Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb's waste management plan hit a dead end, added the report.

The plan was approved by the cabinet last month. It calls for transporting trash to different landfills around the country for the next 18 months and the reopening of the Naameh landfill for seven days only to treat the accumulated waste.

But so far, only the Srar landfill in the northern district of Akkar seems to be on track of being opened.

Shehayyeb held talks with Prime Minister Tammam Salam at the Grand Serail on Tuesday.

He confirmed that the work on setting up the Srar landfill is almost completed.

Local officials in the other areas have not been enthusiastic about having landfills on their territories including one on the eastern mountain range.

But Shehayyeb said the authorities are studying another location in the east and that he would not give further details before it is set up in the right manner.