Lessons from West Bank Solid Waste Management

In the West Bank and Gaza, decades of conflict have led to underinvestment in solid-waste management. Hebron and Bethlehem, the poorest governorates in the West Bank and home to nearly one million people, generated 20 percent of the area’s total solid waste. In 2009, About 500 tons of waste produced daily were disposed of in unsanitary dumps, illegally abandoned, or burned. Local governments lacked a sanitary landfill as well as effective revenue administration that could tap citizens’ willingness to pay for waste management. As a result, revenues were not enough to support comprehensive and sustainable solid-waste collection and disposal, which endangered people’s health and the environment.

Related Blogposts:

"From marginalization to inclusion: The story of the waste pickers in the West Bank" (01 March 2018)

"Securing sustainable livelihoods for (Gaza) waste pickers" (01 March 2019)