The Mayor of Jdeideh–Bouchrieh–Sed warned on Friday that Lebanon could be on the brink of a waste crisis worse than that of 2015 if authorities fail to implement a fair and sustainable solution, as the municipality pushes back against a proposed landfill expansion within its jurisdiction.

In a statement outlining the municipality’s position, Mayor Auguste Bakhos said the relevant municipal committees had worked diligently to oppose the establishment of a new landfill cell, designated Cell No. 8, proposed by the landfill’s operating company, Dany Khoury Co. The company had submitted a request to the Council of Ministers to use an additional 43 square meters of land for waste dumping expansion.

However, Bakhos pointed out that this land had already been designated for use by the Jdeideh municipality under a decree issued by the Cabinet in 2022.

“We are not standing against the state,” Bakhos told Voice of Lebanon radio. “We want serious work and a true partnership with the government to protect public interest. But it’s simply not acceptable for one municipality to shoulder the burdens of an entire country.”

Bakhos thanked Justice Minister Adel Nassar for intervening to remove the landfill expansion request from the agenda of the Cabinet’s latest session. This move, he said, gives the Environment Ministry and the municipality more time to explore “logical and environmentally sound solutions.”

Highlighting years of governmental inaction on Lebanon’s festering waste management problem, Bakhos voiced cautious optimism about the current political climate.

“We believe in the new era Lebanon has entered, in the new government, and in the steps being taken for the public good,” he said. “But we’re not putting our hands in cold water. If we don’t reach a solution soon, we’ll face a waste disaster worse than the one in 2015.”

He urged the government to act swiftly, calling for a just distribution of responsibilities and burdens.

“We are asking the government to find a rapid solution and to do justice to the Jdeideh–Bouchrieh–Sed region, which is considered the capital of the Northern Metn,” Bakhos said.