Jdeideh landfill reaches capacity: Lebanon faces another garbage crisis

Report by Yara Dargham, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

Lebanon is once again resorting to temporary fixes to its garbage crisis, with the Jdeideh landfill on the brink of closure after reaching full capacity.

The landfill, which serves municipalities in Keserwan, Metn, and Beirut, was scheduled to shut down on September 30. 

However, officials postponed the closure until October 6, buying only a few extra days amid mounting pressure.

The contractor managing the landfill has been sending repeated warnings to the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR), which in turn notified the Cabinet. The Environment Ministry also reached out to municipalities that rely on the landfill, urging them to propose alternative sites and solutions. None responded.

While the Cabinet is expected to approve an expansion that would allow the site to operate for another 14 months, the Jdeideh-Sad El Baouchriyeh municipality, within whose boundaries the landfill lies, has set conditions for the extension.

Residents and environmental advocates argue that the extension is yet another stopgap measure in a crisis that has plagued Lebanon for years. True reform must begin with municipalities adopting waste sorting at the source, securing donor support, and developing sustainable waste management systems.

For now, the looming question is what will happen once the temporary extension runs out. 

Many fear a repeat of the 2015 waste crisis, when trash piled up across streets in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, sparking mass protests.