Visit by a delegation from Lebanon
| Subject: International Cooperation
The group visited various waste treatment facilities
Between 13 and 15 September, a delegation from the metropolitan region of Tripoli (Lebanon) visited various waste treatment facilities in Catalonia, some of which are managed by the AMB. The Lebanese delegation was led by Ahmad Kamareddine and Abdel Kader Almeddine, president and vice-president respectively of the Al Fayhaa Union of Municipalities, as well as personnel from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) who met with the heads of International Relations and Cooperation of the AMB and Medcites.
The visit was part of the Lebanon Host Communities Support Project, an initiative that aims to help improve public waste management in those municipalities of the country that are providing shelter for refugees from Syria. As a result of the armed conflict, around one-and-a-half million people have been displaced to Lebanon, which in just four years has increased the population by 30%. This fact, amongst others, has seriously exacerbated the volume of waste generated in refugee reception areas. The project is the result of an agreement between the Government of Catalonia, the Catalan Fund for Development Cooperation, the Barcelona Provincial Council, the AMB and the Barcelona City Council.
The Lebanese delegation first visited the headquarters of the AMB to learn about the management system for municipal waste, based on selective waste collection and subsequent treatment in special plants. Later on the group were transferred to the town hall of Torrelles de Llobregat. After being welcomed by the mayor and the councillor for the Environment, they visited the town's composting plant, which was opened in 1996 and each year treats some 4,500 tonnes of organic waste, turning it into high quality compost.
During their stay the visitors had the chance to observe the operation of other metropolitan facilities such as the integral waste recovery plant in Besòs and other waste treatment centres belonging to Barcelona City Council and the Waste Agency of Catalonia (ARC). To conclude their visit, the Lebanese delegation attended an institutional meeting at the Barcelona City Council with Alfred Bosch, the AMB vice-president of the International Relations and Cooperation Area.
