📰 2 sources 5 articles · 2 Oct 2026, 22:01 → 12 days ago

Sark landfill in Akkar: Conditional reopening and government pledges amid Tripoli's waste crisis

Municipalities neighboring the Sark landfill in Akkar closed the road to trucks and then reopened it conditionally for Akkar's waste only, after government pledges to speed up operation of the sorting plant and sanitary landfill and to address the grievances of affected towns. Environment Minister Tamara El Zein said the reopening is temporary until the landfill and treatment plant operate, expected by the end of February 2027, while Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chaired a meeting confirming the site is dedicated to Akkar's waste only. This coincided with Tripoli's landfill reaching maximum capacity and waste piling up in the city's streets.

📍 Where things stand: The road to the Sark landfill is open exclusively and temporarily for Akkar's waste, amid follow-up on the implementation of government pledges regarding the sanitary landfill and sorting plant, while Tripoli's waste crisis continues.

⏱️ Timeline

2 Oct 2026, 22:01 Municipalities neighboring the Sark landfill in Akkar announced the opening of the road for Akkar's waste trucks exclusively, starting Saturday morning, after obtaining a pledge from the Prime Minister to speed up the operation of the sorting plant and the sanitary landfill and to redress the affected villages and towns. The municipalities stressed that the opening does not mean a return to the previous situation and that its continuation is tied to the implementation of government pledges.
3 Oct 2026, 17:31 Environment Minister Tamara El Zein announced that the reopening of the Sark landfill in Akkar was temporary to avoid waste accumulation, with the measure remaining confined to the transitional phase until the operation of the sanitary landfill and the treatment plant expected by the end of February 2027. She explained that work on building the landfill began in January 2026 in cooperation with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), with the maintenance of the sorting plant carried out through the GATE project funded by the World Bank.
4 Oct 2026, 20:45 A report addressed the issue of transferring Tripoli's waste to Akkar, noting that the municipalities had closed the Sark landfill in exchange for official promises to reopen it for Akkar's waste only.
5 Oct 2026, 14:17 Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chaired a meeting at the Grand Serail dedicated to discussing the demands of the municipalities surrounding the Sark landfill in Akkar, in a step to contain growing objections to the landfill's environmental and service conditions. The meeting ended with the relevant official bodies tasked to immediately begin implementing the demands, while affirming the principle of dedicating the site exclusively to Akkar's waste. Environment Minister Tamara El Zein and MP Asaad Dergham took part in the meeting.
5 Oct 2026, 17:14 Tripoli is experiencing a worsening waste crisis after the city's landfill reached its maximum capacity, leading to waste piling up in streets and residential neighborhoods. The crisis deepened with the continued closure of the road leading to the Sark landfill in Akkar, in rejection of receiving waste from outside the region, while the Council for Development and Reconstruction had warned about a year earlier that the landfill's capacity would be exhausted, amid growing public anger toward the municipality, the union of municipalities, MPs and the relevant authorities.