Not that long ago, the city of Sidon moved its trash to the local Sidon dump, where the toxic landfill and trash site washed into the sea every winter. Sometimes dump trucks didn’t wait for the rains and dumped directly into the sea. Thanks to Saudi Arabia, which offered some $20 million USD to clean the Sidon dump, the deed is almost done.

 

The Sidon dump will be turned into a recreational area, in a cleanup overseen by the United Nations Development Program, the Sidon Municipality and the Environment Ministry Lebanon.

 

The dump has been cleared of harmful gases, while garbage there has been separated. A wave breaker has been installed to prevent winter’s stormy seas from reaching the dump.

 

Some residents however, say the toxic fumes emanating from the clean up are worse than the dump site itself.

 

As for the organic materials extracted from the waste, developers will be putting it aside to decompose for energy extraction purposes.

 

“The city will finally be able to get rid of its garbage mountain and the site will be turned into an entertainment complex for its residents,” said UNDP resident representative Robert Watkins.

 

The landfill was established in 1982 and it contained somewhere between 50-60 percent of solid waste and 35-40 percent of biodegradable material.

 

Plans were made to close down the dump late 2012. Containing some two million cubic meters of waste, it would cave in during wet winter months and funnel garbage down to the sea and beaches of the city. Deadly fires took place there recently. Anaerobic fermenting will produce energy from the site.