Douris is sorting now! This initiative is no longer a theory. It is a reality that will bring a huge difference to the village of Douris and will change the lifestyle of its inhabitants.
“Sorting from the Source” is now the new trend that everyone is talking about in Douris. This campaign comes as a part of the WASH project, which the Lebanese Organization of Studies and Training (LOST) has been running, in partnership with UNICEF. Such a project would not be feasible without the support of the local authorities in the village. Fortunately, Douris municipality was more than welcoming to the idea and lent it a supporting hand. The community members were even more excited!
In the Douris area, 620 households (3,100 individuals) are being targeted in three different zones. These households produce approximately 3,410 kilograms of garbage daily distributed as follows: 1,244.65 kg of non-organic wastes, 1,790.25 kg of organic wastes, and 375 kg of other wastes. If not treated properly, the hazards would definitely be dramatic in the long run. To mitigate such impacts, LOST, in coordination with Douris municipality constructed a sorting tent (10m x 5m) to capacitate the municipality of running the process and to ensure the sustainability of the idea. Door-to-door visits were initially conducted to introduce the idea to the households and explain more about the sorting mechanism. Following up on this process will reduce the frequency of mistakes. For this purpose, every household received a specific number to be tied to the garbage bags. When collected, the municipal labor will determine households that are not sorting properly via the number tied to the garbage bags. The team will revisit this household to orient them on the right sorting track.
To launch the campaign, a ceremony took place on Friday, November 24th, 2017 in Douris, in the presence of Douris Mayor, Mr. Nazih Njeim, UNICEF representative, Mr. Cezar El Fakih, LOST founder, Dr. Ramy Lakkis, the WASH team at LOST, mayors (Iaat, Harbata, Bouday, Yammouneh, Kfardan, Deir El Ahmar Municipal Union, Btadii, Saaide, Ansar, Ras Baalbek, Qsarnaba, and Hortala), represntatives of municiplialties (Flawi, El Ein, Wadi Faqra, Barqa, Bednayel…), stakeholders, and Douris community members. Mr. Njeim, during his speech, stressed on the importance of such projects in the community to narrow the range of the dramatic aftermath of the improper treatment of garbage. In addition, Dr. Ramy Lakkis emphasized on the great outcome of the sorting campaign and encouraged Douris community members to adopt this idea for the sake of its success. Cezar El Fakih in turn thanked both Douris municipality and LOST for their efforts and reflected the importance of such ecofriendly and community mobilizing projects that UNICEF always try to implement. The ceremony ended by delivering the garbage truck from UNICEF and LOST to Douris municipality and lighting the DOURIS sign, constructed as part of the project.
The impacts of the sorting process are not exclusive for Douris only. The outcomes of this campaign will spread and induce enthusiasm among other community members to initiate it as well. Nothing is as heart-glowing as living in a civilized community that adopts ecofriendly disciplines. Douris is sorting now, and hopefully, so will others in the future.
