Official Approval for Relocating Zahle Landfill Waste Outside Lebanese Territory

Issued by the Municipality of Zahle - Ma'aleh and Tannayil, a statement regarding the relocation of materials from the Zahle landfill outside Lebanese territory stated:

We promised the people of Zahle that we would follow this file until the end, and today we fulfill our promise.

After nearly a year of follow-up, correspondence, and reviews between the Municipality of Zahle - Ma'aleh and Tannayil, the Lebanese Electricity Authority (LEA), the Ministry of Energy and Water, the Ministry of Environment, the contracting company, and other relevant parties, this file has reached a critical and decisive stage in the path we began when we made the decision to reject processing or burying these materials in Zahle.

As a result of the continuous and direct follow-up conducted by the municipality with the Minister of Energy and Water and the Lebanese Electricity Authority, the Board of Directors of the authority unanimously adopted Decision No. 589-30/2026 on August 19, 2026, approving the agreement with the contracting company to relocate the materials from the Zahle landfill outside Lebanese territory and dispose of them abroad in accordance with established environmental standards. The authority’s official letter on this matter was issued on August 27, 2026, followed by the Minister of Energy and Water’s approval of the related clause on September 8, 2026, thereby opening the way for moving into the implementation phase and removing these materials from the Zahle landfill.

We extend our gratitude to the Minister of Energy and Water, the Minister of Environment, the Chairman and members of the Board of Directors of the Lebanese Electricity Authority, the deputies of Zahle, and all those who contributed, followed up, and supported progress toward this stage. This file concerns public health and environmental safety, and cooperation on it is paramount, surpassing any other consideration.

From the outset, our position was clear. When full confidence in the handling and oversight mechanism was not assured, we adopted a zero-risk policy. We rejected processing or burying the materials and demanded their removal from Zahle. Throughout the past months, we refused all pressures, solutions, and proposals that did not lead to the outcome we insisted upon: the complete removal of these materials from the Zahle landfill. We contacted relevant authorities and, when the file stalled, turned to the judiciary.

We wish some of those who discovered this file when it became a public issue had stood with us over the past year, contributing to follow-up and pressure to accelerate the removal of these materials from Zahle. For reference only, the Lebanese Electricity Authority’s Board of Directors had already taken the decision to relocate the materials on August 19—before certain individuals later attempted to turn the file into political ammunition. But for us, the debate was never the priority; reaching the desired outcome always was.

We at the Municipality of Zahle - Ma'aleh and Tannayil work quietly, yet firmly, resolutely, and productively. We do not seek noise, but results. And when we commit to the people of Zahle to follow a file, we follow it through to the end.

Today, the decision to relocate these materials outside Lebanese territory is confirmed. We will not consider this file closed until the last container of these materials has been removed from the Zahle landfill and transported out of Lebanese territory according to proper procedures.

We promised. We followed through. And we will continue until the end.

Public health, safety, and environmental protection come first—and always.