Policies and strategies Review Master Plan (MP) of Waste Management in Syrian Arab Republic (2004):A series of documents were co-authored by the French experts of TRIVALOR, the Syrian experts of the Ministry of Local Administration and Environment and of the City of Damascus.
Municipal Solid Waste Management
Goal: protect human health & the environment by safe segregation of waste from generation source to end pointStages: generation, storage, collection, transport, treatment and disposalWaste hierarchy: from waste to resource management towards a circular economy
Municipal Solid Waste: Operational Challenges
Collection of Wastes
Ongoing maximum utilisation of people, vehicles and equipment….but need more bins, vehicles and people
Disposal of Wastes
Some designated sites but many additional sites unauthorised and uncontrolled
Limited Recycling
Lack of recycling means loss of potential incomes and livelihoods
Current Solid Waste Management in SyriaCrisis Waste Management
Prop
osed
Act
ions
Prop
osed
Act
ions
Protect public health from spread of diseases Protect environment from contamination (groundwater supply and valuable
agricultural land) Impedes recovery efforts and access Can support sustainable livelihoods through generating employment
opportunities Reuse and recycling can provide livelihoods opportunities Hazardous wastes can kill Reduce future liabilities with the initial handling of the disaster waste being
correct Ensure proper H&S for workers since working with wastes is a high hazard
manual activity
Crisis Municipal Solid Waste: Why is it important?
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Debris & Waste Links to Job CreationProvides livelihoods and CfW opportunities as first responseRecycling and reuse of waste and debris provide opportunities for longer term job creationSpin off of project and programme teams as local CBO/NGOs or private sector business Demonstrates "things are happening" and removes scars – economic re-activity confidence
MasterPlan vs Fuel briquettesTRIVALOR Master Plan Fuel Briquettes
• The option of producing fuel briquettes from organic waste is not introduced within the MP considering the availability of fuel before the crisis.
• This option is viable in Syria’s conflict setting due to its value generation for livelihoods as well as supporting supply of fuel for winter periods.
• Severe shortage in fuel, very cold winter in Syria.• 20-40% reduction in fuel costs.
Fuel briquette project in Uganda (Charcoal Project , 2015)
Briquettes – Background & RationaleBACKGROUND RATIONALE
Transforming virtually all biomass into improved fuel
Very versatile technology (feedstock, scale, know-how)
Option ranges from handmade to highly mechanized
Extended landfill lifespan & reduced methane & leachate
Established technology, but success depends on end users
Economic, environmental & health benefits
Fuel Briquettes: Waste Management System Needs
• Poor Waste Collection: Fuel briquettes have the capacity, based on the scale up plan, to reduce the total waste quantities by significant amounts and can therefore have a serious impact on waste collection quantities.
• Uncontrolled Dumping: Reducing waste leads to less waste quantities being open dumped.
• Low public awareness: Public awareness is increased through people’s direct use of their own waste.
• Lack of resources: As a process which is financially viable and creating of economies, this effort will reduce the overall cost of waste management and therefore support in overcoming the issue of a lack of resources.
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Syria: Solid Waste DWR is supporting 3 UNDP Target Areas in improving SWM including:
Dumpsite upgrades and/or closure Composting Fuel Briquettes Waste Banks Biogas
Developing National protocols for solid waste management in crises
Training of UNDP teams in solid waste management
Biomass sorting And briquetting
Syria – Turning waste into fuel briquettes for cooking and heating: Small scale business
Fuel Briquettes: Early Recovery Approach• Employment Generation: Fuel briquettes are produced in locally made presses. The employment generation is
therefore considerable, with local people making the machines, and then also using them. The finished product, being of saleable value on local markets, can provide the funding for the processes and their improvements.
• Capacity Building: Two aspects: capacity to create fuel briquettes which could remain useful after the crisis, if a low enough price is achieved to compete with gas. The feedstock could easily be changed and adapted to other organic wastes such as agricultural wastes if a more sustainable recycling route for paper is achieved. The second aspect is separation of wastes for commercial purposes. In order to feed fuel briquettes plants, a segregated waste collection stream is created, leading to increase material recovery rates through other routes.
• Reduction of Public Health Risks: Reduced wastes, especially organic waste which decomposes quickly in open spaces and leads to vermin etc., leads to reduced public health risks.
• Environmental Protection: Fuel briquettes reduce the reliance on solid natural fuels such as wood and charcoal.
• Ease of Implementation : This effort is already in place in Tartous and could be up-scaled.
• Public Participation: Fuel briquettes have a strong public participation aspect as people can clearly see and realise the value of some of the waste the produce. This is compounded by the fact that the product is used in the same geographical area that is produced in.
Briquettes – Reminder of Key Issues
Feedstock availability & competing uses User preferences & cooking equipment Feedstock quality & quality consistency Operation scale & choice of process Legislative void & lack of standardization
Conclusions
In Syria, fuel briquette production represents a considerable opportunity for scale-up as technical documentation and plans exist and have been & tested. Physical production is ongoing in Syria, successfully reducing waste quantities and creating livelihoods. Minimal investment and basic knowledge-sharing can now enable this practice to reach a significant population across Syria and is strongly recommended as an opportunity to waste into resources.
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