RAMALLAH, July 4 (JMCC) - The Palestinian city of
Nablus may become the first city in the
West Bank to host a recycling plant. Efforts are underway to establish the plant and enhance environmental awareness in the Palestinian territories.
When Nablus city councilman Hafez Shaheen took office in 2005, he struggled to maintain basic urban functions like electricity and water as he filled in for the mayor, who was under arrest in Israel.
Five years later, with the mayor back in office and Nablus enjoying the relative prosperity unfolding across the West Bank, Shaheen aims to make his city a pioneer in recycling plastics, metals and cardboard.
Nablus is paying $4 million a year for transporting and dumping garbage, said Shaheen. It's about 8 percent of the annual budget for the ancient city of 126,000.
Shaheen got his Ph.D in water management in Germany. While in Germany, Shaheen saw people separating their garbage into glass, plastic and cardboard. I want to implement the programs I saw in Europe, he said.
Three years ago, Nablus began a recycling pilot east of the city. There, on a Tuesday in May, a bulldozer shoved dripping trash into a rotating cylinder called a screener, which separates out organic waste. Piles of boxes, broken plastic chairs and a smaller heap of metal waited to be picked up for sale to Palestinian and Israeli companies...
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