Humanitarian Situation

Data Source: OCHA/UNHCR (as of June 2017)

13.5 M

4.9 M

6.3 M

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.

SyriaMunicipal Solid Waste: Key Aspects

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

Crisis Waste: Asset or Liability?

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

Manual Fuel briquette projects in Syria (UNDP Syria, 2015)

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.

Thanks for your Attention!