PHOTO CREDIT: BASSAM AL AMIL Rapid Comparative Analysis of Available Options for Managing Broken Glass from the

USAID Diverting Waste by Encouraging Reuse and Recycling (DAWERR) Activity

Contract No.: 72026820C00002 March 11, 2020

Date original report submitted to USAID: February 9, 2021 USAID Contracting Officer’s Representative: Sana Saliba

This document was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It was prepared under the direction of ECODIT LLC for the USAID/ Diverting Waste by Encouraging Reuse and Recycling (DAWERR) Activity. The contents of the document are the sole responsibility of ECODIT and do not represent the views of USAID or the United States government. This document was prepared by ECODIT Liban SARL, a subcontractor to ECODIT LLC under the USAID/Lebanon Diverting Waste by Encouraging Reuse and Recycling (DAWERR) Activity through Contract No. 72026820C00002

This document was prepared under the direction of ECODIT LLC 1300 Wilson Blvd, Suite 920 Arlington, VA 22209-2321, USA Tel: +1-703-841-1885 [email protected]

ECODIT Contacts: Chief of Party

Home Office Project Manager

Cover page photo credit: Bassam Al Amil

CONTENTS Executive Summary 1 1. Project Description 1 1.1. Introduction 1 1.2. Project Rationale, Approach and Report Structure 1 2. Description of Existing Situation 2 2.1. Waste Storage Sites 3 2.1.1. Karantina 3 2.1.2. Mar Mkhayel 5 2.1.3. Sin El Fil 6 2.1.4. Normandy 6 2.1.5. Non-Collected Waste 6 2.2. Summary of Existing Initiatives 7 2.2.1. Stakeholders Consultations 7 2.2.2. Assessments and Studies 9 2.2.2.1. Order of Engineers and Architects (OEA) 9 2.2.2.2. (LAF) 10 2.2.2.3. Development Programme (UNDP) 11 2.2.2.4. UN-Habitat 12 2.2.2.5. European Union (EU) 14 2.2.3. Existing Management Initiatives 14 2.2.3.1. Rubble to Mountains Initiative 14 2.2.3.2. Cedar Environmental 14 2.2.3.3. Arc En Ciel (AEC) 15 2.2.4. Perceptions of Other Relevant Stakeholders 15 2.2.4.1. Public Sector 15 2.2.4.1.1. Beirut Municipality 15 2.2.4.1.2. Ministry of Industry (MoI) 15 2.2.4.1.3. Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MoPWT) 15 2.2.4.1.4. Council of Development and Reconstruction (CDR) 16 2.2.4.2. Private Sector 16 2.2.4.2.1. Glass Recycling Factory (under construction) 16 2.2.4.2.2. Artisanal/Small-Scale Recycling Factory 16 2.2.4.2.3. Concrete Mixing Industries 16 2.2.4.2.4. Engineering Consulting Firm – (Khatib & Alami) 16 2.3. Quantification of Broken Glass Waste 17 2.3.1. Size of the Damage 17 2.3.2. Generated Quantity of Glass Waste 17

i|USAID DAWERR: RAP D COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVA LABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULT NG FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV 2.3.3. Recoverable Portion 18 3. Assessment of Alternatives 19 3.1. Alternative Applications 19 3.1.1. Partial Replacement of Bound Aggregates in Concrete and Asphalt Mixes 19 3.1.2. Partial Replacement of Un-Bound Aggregates in Infrastructure and Geotechnical Applications (basecourse and subbase layers, bedding/backfill and drainage material) 20 3.1.3. Glass Beads in Road Paint 21 3.1.4. Use as Secondary Raw Material for Fiberglass Industry in 21 3.1.5. Use as Fill Material in Abandoned Quarries 22 3.1.6. Disposal in Landfills 22 3.1.7. Other Alternatives 22 3.2. Procedures and Equipment 23 4. Comparative Analysis 28 4.1. SWOT Analysis for the Recovery and Reuse/Recycling of Recovered Glass 28 4.2. Comparative Analysis Methodology 33 4.3. Comparative Analysis Results 33 4.3.1. Partial Replacement of Bound Aggregates in Concrete and Asphalt Mixes 33 4.3.1.1. Financial Assessment 33 4.3.1.2. Technical Assessment 34 4.3.1.3. Environmental Assessment 34 4.3.1.4. Social Assessment 35 4.3.2. Partial Replacement of Un-Bound Aggregates in Infrastructure and Geotechnical Applications (basecourse and subbase layers, bedding/backfill and drainage material) 35 4.3.2.1. Financial Assessment 35 4.3.2.2. Technical Assessment 35 4.3.2.3. Environmental Assessment 36 4.3.2.4. Social Assessment 36 4.3.3. Glass Beads in Road Paint 36 4.3.3.1. Financial Assessment 36 4.3.3.2. Technical Assessment 37 4.3.3.3. Environmental Assessment 37 4.3.3.4. Social Assessment 37 4.3.4. Use as Secondary Raw Material for Fiberglass Industry in Turkey 38 4.3.4.1. Financial Assessment 38 4.3.4.2. Technical Assessment 38 4.3.4.3. Environmental Assessment 38 4.3.4.4. Social Assessment 39 4.3.5. Use as Fill Materials in Abandoned Quarries 39 4.3.5.1. Financial Assessment 39 4.3.5.2. Technical Assessment 39 ii|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVA LABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION | F NAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV 4.3.5.3. Environmental Assessment 39 4.3.5.4. Social Assessment 39 4.3.6. Disposal in Landfills 40 4.3.6.1. Financial Assessment 40 4.3.6.2. Technical Assessment 40 4.3.6.3. Environmental Assessment 40 4.3.6.4. Social Assessment 40 5. Conclusion 41 6. Recommendations on Next Steps 43 7. References 44 A. Annex 1 – MCDA Methodology: Criteria Descriptions and Ratings 46 B. Annex 2 – MCDA Results 51

iii|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV EXHIBITS Exhibit 1. Structural damage zoning ...... 2 Exhibit 2. Damage severity map ...... 3 Exhibit 3. The “glass” pile at Bakalian site ...... 4 Exhibit 4. The “rubble” pile at Bakalian site ...... 4 Exhibit 5. Manual sorting at Bakalian site ...... 5 Exhibit 6. Waste piles at the slaughterhouse site ...... 5 Exhibit 7. Waste piles at Audi/Kettaneh site ...... 5 Exhibit 8. Waste piles at Sin El Fil site ...... 6 Exhibit 9. Waste stored in BIEL, Normandy ...... 6 Exhibit 10. Non-collected waste in the streets of Beirut ...... 7 Exhibit 11. List of interviewed stakeholders ...... 7 Exhibit 12. OEA surveyed lots and buildings ...... 9 Exhibit 13. LAF’s surveyed areas within 2.5 km from explosion ...... 10 Exhibit 14. LAF’s surveyed areas within 7.5 km from explosion ...... 11 Exhibit 15. UNDP’s Red Zone...... 12 Exhibit 16. Survey zones adopted by UN-Habitat ...... 13 Exhibit 17. Color coded results of UN-Habitat survey ...... 13 Exhibit 18. Quantities of shattered glass provided by stakeholders ...... 17 Exhibit 19. Visual inspection of glass content ...... 19 Exhibit 20. Size and gradation requirement of the recovered glass for the partial replacement of bound aggregates in concrete and asphalt mixes ...... 20 Exhibit 21. Size and gradation requirement of the recovered glass for the partial replacement of un- bound aggregates in infrastructure and geotechnical applications ...... 21 Exhibit 22. Size and gradation requirement of the recovered glass for the usage in road paints ...... 21 Exhibit 23. Alternatives that were not considered for further analysis ...... 22 Exhibit 24. Technical recovery procedures ...... 24 Exhibit 25. Examples of equipment that can be used in the proposed recovery procedures ...... 26 Exhibit 26. Operational costs ...... 27 Exhibit 27. SWOT analysis for the reuse of recovered glass ...... 29

iv|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVA LABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION | F NAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

AEC Arc En Ciel ATC Applied Technology Council AUB American University of Beirut CDR Council of Development and Reconstruction CDW Construction and Demolition Waste CEO Chief Executive Officer CoM Council of Ministers DAWERR Diverting Waste by Encouraging Reuse and Recycling EU European Union FER Forward Emergency Room GHG Greenhouse Gaz GIS Geographic Information System HBDA Household and Building Damage Assessment IPs Implementing Partners ISIC International Standard Industrial Classification km Kilometers LAF Lebanese Armed Forces LRI Lebanon Reforestation Initiative m2 Square Meters MBT Mechanical Biological Treatment MCDA Multiple-Criteria Decision Analysis Mm Millimeters MoE Ministry of Environment MoI Ministry of Industry MoPWT Ministry of Public Works and Transport MSW Municipal Solid Waste Management OEA Orders of Engineers and Architects PM Particulate Matter PwC PricewaterhouseCoopers ROGP Rejects of Glass and Plastic SWM Solid Waste Management SWOT Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats UN United Nations UN-OCHA United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs UNDP United Nations Development Programme USAID United States Agency for International Development

v|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVA LABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On June 30, 2020, USAID/Lebanon awarded ECODIT LLC the USAID Diverting Waste by Encouraging Reuse and Recycling (DAWERR) Activity (the Project), which will establish sustainable and replicable integrated solid waste diversion and valorization solutions in rural areas of Lebanon. Following the blast on August 4, 2020, USAID requested its Implementing Partners (IPs) to develop recommendations for immediate and medium- to long-term interventions in response to the crisis. ECODIT LLC submitted a list of interventions and is coordinating with several partners regarding implementation.

A quick overview of the current waste situation in Beirut area, conducted under DAWERR, revealed that there are of broken glass (mixed with rubble and other wastes) that may be recovered for useful applications. As such, ECODIT LLC engaged the services of ECODIT Liban to conduct a rapid comparative analysis of available options for managing the broken glass generated by the Beirut explosion.

Despite several on-ground initiatives to recover/recycle the glass shattered during the explosion, major actors are still at the planning and fund mobilization stage of their interventions. The main challenges that are hindering these interventions include, among others: (1) absence of facilities for the processing of Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) in Lebanon, and (2) limited recycling infrastructure – thus requiring the establishment of new markets for the recovered glass. With this in mind, ECODIT Liban structured this report as follows:

● Description of Existing Situation – Data collection and analysis to assess the current situation in terms of waste storage, on-going initiatives, major challenges and drivers for the reuse/recycling of glass, and most importantly, the quantities of glass that was generated and the portion that can be recovered; ● Assessment of Alternatives – Technical assessment of viable alternatives for the recovery and reuse of the crushed glass, including product specifications, mechanical process and equipment and cost indications; and ● Comparative Analysis – Comparison of alternatives, addressing financial, technical, environmental, and social/legal aspects, to guide the decision-making process.

Description of Existing Situation

Several published assessments revealed complete destruction within a 2 km radius from the center of the blast, extensive structural damages within 8 km radius, and minor damages within 20 km range. The waste generated from the blast is divided, in terms of location and management, into two categories: “inside” and “outside” the Port area. We considered only the waste “outside” the Port area in this report. Apart from the portion that was sent to landfills and dumpsites, the collected waste was stored at several sites in the following districts of Beirut and its outskirts:

1. Karantina/Bakalian site – where the largest amount of waste is stored. Among several rubble piles, there’s one pile called the “glass pile” consisting mostly of glass and considered by this team to be the main potential source of broken glass that can be practically recovered; 2. Mar Mikhayel – where the waste was only temporarily stored (then moved to Karantina site). 3. Sin El Fil – currently used as a temporary storage area; and 4. Normandy – where most of the waste collected from the private properties of Solidere company in downtown Beirut is stored.

In order to collect the data and information needed for the subsequent analyses, we consulted the concerned stakeholders with existing initiatives and those with anticipated considerable roles in the management of the recovered glass, including: the public sector, international organizations, local NGOs and the private sector. Based on our consultations with the stakeholders, the data in the

1|USAID DAWERR: RAP D COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVA LABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV released reports and the feedback from on-ground initiatives, we developed a summary table of estimated quantity of shattered glass (Exhibit 18). The total shattered glass is most comprehensively approximated by the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to be around 2,200,000 m2 (equivalent to 55,000 tonnes1). The glass surface was calculated based on LAF records including on- ground surveys coupled with damage reports submitted by citizens requesting rehabilitation support. As to the most damaged area, surveyed by both Order of Engineers and Architects (OEA) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the shattered glass is most likely to range between 573,000 and 750,000 m2 (equivalent to 14,328 and 18,000 tonnes).

Knowing that a large quantity of the shattered glass was landfilled or dumped, along with other CDW components, only part of the above estimated (shattered) quantities remain on the waste storage sites. In addition, not all of the shattered glass in the stored CDW piles can be practically recovered. We expect most of the practically recoverable glass to be on Bakalian site, specifically in the “glass pile”. Rough experts’ assessments of the glass waste amount in Bakalian site ranged between 15,000 and 25,000 tonnes. However, ECODIT Liban’s team found out that the quantity is way smaller, by running quasi-accurate on-site experiments consisting of: volume measurements of the glass pile, in-place density estimation of the waste, and visual inspection of the proportion of glass in the waste. Based on those, the overall volume of recoverable glass is no more than1500 m3, roughly weighing 1,000 tonnes. The calculated weight indicates that less than 2% of the glass shattered during the explosion reached the glass pile in Bakalian site, and thus considered recoverable.

Assessment of Alternatives

We considered twelve internationally common applications for the reuse and recycling of glass, out of which, we found six applicable alternatives and analyzed them further:

1. Partial replacement of bound aggregates in concrete and asphalt mixes; 2. Partial replacement of un-bound aggregates in infrastructure and geotechnical applications (basecourse and subbase layers, bedding/backfill and drainage material); 3. Glass beads in road paint; 4. Use as secondary raw material for Fiberglass industry in Turkey; 5. Use as fill material in abandoned quarries; and 6. Disposal in landfills.

We defined the technical specifications of the recovered glass for each of these applications, based on international glass reuse standards. The specifications cover major aspects, including size, gradation, shape and level of cleanliness. Moreover, we discussed in Section 3.1 the applicability of the replacement of proportions of glass and impacts on the final product.

In order to meet the technical requirements, we explained the recovery procedures for four listed alternatives (Exhibit A), and identified2 example equipment along with capital and operational cost indications for each alternative. In Section 3.2, we present additional technical recommendations, as to the choice of equipment, material storage and labor requirements as well as details on the remaining two alternatives.

1 The equivalent weight estimated by assuming an average glass thickness of 10 mm and a density of 2.5 tonnes/m3. 2 Upon consultation with an internationally renowned glass recycling company and equipment manufacturer subcontracted by ECODIT LLC under DAWERR.

2|USAID DAWERR: RAP D COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVA LABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV constraints, plans and the local context. The assessment has shown that the alternative applications presented can each deliver adequate results. However, the practicability of their implementation can differ based on the existing conditions and local context. Specifically,

● Applications that require a product that is finer and with lower contamination levels, such as fiberglass and bound aggregates in concrete, require additional process units, equipment, and technical requirements. With this comes higher costs for investment and operation and greater need for technical and environmental control. However, these factors are variable and are dependent on the requirements of the consumers. ● Applications where a coarse material is required that can accommodate relatively higher levels of contamination and less sophisticated process units, such as unbound aggregates (basecourse/fill material), might be more appealing and will in practice likely be more easily attainable. However, the value of that product may not reap substantial profit margins for sale on the local market and thus may not be very attractive for longer-term financial investment by local recyclers beyond the time boundaries of the project. ● Establishing a competitive local market for a high-value secondary raw material (e.g. fine glass beads or fiberglass cullet for export), requiring higher glass quality, might be more beneficial for the value chain of glass recycling in Lebanon in the long term, thereby being a financial driver for this sector.

It is important to mention that we did not consider the potential contamination of the waste with asbestos or other hazardous materials in this analysis. Another complementary project under DAWERR, covers asbestos contamination specifically in Bakalian site and preliminary remediation processes.

4|USAID DAWERR: RAP D COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVA LABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV 1. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

1.1. INTRODUCTION

On June 30, 2020, USAID/Lebanon awarded ECODIT LLC the USAID Diverting Waste by Encouraging Reuse and Recycling (DAWERR) Activity (the Project), which will establish sustainable and replicable integrated solid waste diversion and valorization solutions in rural areas of Lebanon. The Project aligns with USAID/Lebanon’s desire to introduce financially sustainable solutions that increase the reuse, recycling, and monetization of solid waste, which would reduce the amount of solid waste that goes to landfills. The Project’s period of performance is August 1, 2020 to July 31, 2025.

Following massive at the Port of Beirut on August 4, 2020 that caused city-wide devastation and generated huge amounts of waste such as broken glass, rubble and other types of waste, USAID requested its Implementing Partners (IPs) to develop recommendations for immediate and medium- to long-term interventions in response to the crisis. ECODIT LLC submitted a list of interventions and is coordinating with several partners regarding implementation.

A quick overview of the current waste situation in Beirut area, conducted under DAWERR, revealed that there are tonnes of broken glass (mixed with rubble and other wastes) that may be recovered for useful applications. As such, ECODIT LLC engaged the services of ECODIT Liban to conduct a rapid comparative analysis of available options for managing the broken glass generated by the Beirut explosion.

ECODIT Liban’s project team included: (Team Leader), (Technical Focal Point at ECODIT Liban and Environmental Specialist), (Environmental Specialist), (Surveyor and Data Analyst), (Surveyor and Data Analyst), and (Research Assistant). The document was reviewed by (Director of ECODIT Liban and Quality Assurance/Quality Control).

1.2. PROJECT RATIONALE, APPROACH AND REPORT STRUCTURE

The excessive size of the damage caused by the explosion of Beirut calls for a prompt response to manage the huge quantity of the resulting waste, specifically glass since it is considered a valuable material that may be reused/recycled efficiently. While several small-scale initiatives were taken, on- ground organizations are still looking for large-scale solutions for the high quantities of recoverable glass. Some of these organizations are in the process of mobilizing funds where others have already allocated budgets and ordered equipment to recover the glass from the construction and demolition waste. Yet, they are still looking for feasible applications for the recovered glass, which in turn, would define the recovery process and equipment. Accordingly, the main objective of this assignment is to rapidly identify and compare available options for managing the broken glass generated by Port of Beirut explosions and provide short- and longer-term recommendations.

The study approach is three-staged. The first stage (Section 2) consists of data collection and assessment of glass quantities. To start, we conducted multiple site visits to CDW storage sites in Beirut to assess the current conditions, locations and dynamics of the waste piles (Sub-Section 2.1). Then, we performed extensive consultations with relevant stakeholders (Sub-Section 2.2) to identify: (1) on-going initiatives related to glass assessment and recovery, and (2) major challenges and drivers for the reuse/recycling of glass. Based on the collected information, we estimated the total and recoverable quantities of glass (Sub-Section 2.3).

The second stage (Section 3) screens the alternatives and provides technical specifications and requirements of the viable management solutions. In the first part (Sub-Section 3.1), we justified each short-listed alternative and provided the relevant specifications of recovered glass. Based on those

1|USAID DAWERR: RAP D COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVA LABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV specifications, we defined the process needed for each application and presented general technical and financial information (Sub-Section 3.2).

The third stage (Section 4) assesses and compares the alternative applications. First, we conducted a SWOT analysis for the recovery of the glass (Sub-Section 4.1). After that, we provided the comparative assessment methodology and results (Sub-Sections 4.2 and 4.3).

2. DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING SITUATION As mentioned previously, the Port of Beirut explosions caused a massive destruction to buildings and infrastructure and a devastating disruption of economic activities. Reports revealed complete destruction within a 2 km radius from the center of the blast, extensive structural damages within 8 km radius, and minor damages within 20 km range (ACAPS, August 2020) (Exhibit 13). The most severely affected quarters in are: Marfaa (port area), Medawar, and Rmeil. Adjacent areas, in Mount Lebanon governorate, with considerable impacts include, but not limited to: Bourj Hammoud, Bauchriyeh, Sin-el-Fil, Zalqa, and Jal-El-Dib (Exhibit 24).

Exhibit 1. Structural damage zoning

3 Source: Lebanese Republic - Presidency of CoM, 30 August 2020 4 Source: UN-OCHA, August 2020

2|USAID DAWERR: RAP D COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVA LABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV Exhibit 2. Damage severity map

2.1. WASTE STORAGE SITES

The waste generated from the blast is divided, in terms of location and management, into two categories: “inside” and “outside” the Port area. The waste remaining inside the Port is being managed separately and is not addressed in this study. In this assignment, we only consider the waste “outside” the Port area. Apart from the portion that was sent to landfills and dumpsites, the collected waste was stored at several sites in the following districts of Beirut and its outskirts:

2.1.1. KARANTINA

We found two major storage sites in the Karantina area: Bakalian (Medawar 1343) and the previous slaughterhouse site. The largest amount of waste is stored on these sites. Specifically, at Bakalian, four separate piles exist: (1) the “glass” pile consisting mostly of glass considerably commingled with other types of waste (concrete, tires, silicon, etc.) (Exhibit 3), (2) the “miscellaneous” pile consisting mainly of demolition waste with a negligible glass content (Exhibit 4), (3) the “Kettaneh/AUDI'' pile which was relocated from Mar Mkhayel, and (4) the “sorted” pile which mainly consists of sorted material resulting from the manual sorting activities. Manual sorting is currently taking place in the “rubble” pile by the “Rubble to Mountains'' initiative (Exhibit 5). As for the waste found in the slaughterhouse, it is mainly construction waste with no visible presence of glass waste (Exhibit 6).

3|USAID DAWERR: RAP D COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVA LABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV Exhibit 3. The “glass” pile at Bakalian site

Exhibit 4. The “rubble” pile at Bakalian site

4|USAID DAWERR: RAP D COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVA LABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV Exhibit 5. Manual sorting at Bakalian site

Exhibit 6. Waste piles at the slaughterhouse site

2.1.2. MAR MKHAYEL

Upon the blast, two sites were adopted for waste storage in Mar Mkhayel: (1) the train station area, where waste was eliminated later and is now clean; and (2) Audi/Kettaneh site where the second largest pile of waste (after Karantina) existed. The pile was mostly demolition waste with no considerable glass content (Exhibit 7). Lately, the waste in Audi/Ketttaneh site was moved to Karantina.

Exhibit 7. Waste piles at Audi/Kettaneh site

5|USAID DAWERR: RAP D COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVA LABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV 2.1.3. SIN EL FIL

A public property in Sin El fil, to the south of Lot #76, was used as a temporary waste storage site. Even though we noticed glass waste in few spots, no current estimation of the available quantity exists (Exhibit 8).

Exhibit 8. Waste piles at Sin El Fil site

2.1.4. NORMANDY

Waste collected from the properties of Solidere company in downtown Beirut, was stored on a private land (owned by the same company) in the Normandy area, commonly known as BIEL (Exhibit 9). Upon visiting the site, we perceived on the side a large pile with a considerable proportion of glass that may be considered adequate for glass recovery – provided the approval of the private company is granted.

Exhibit 9. Waste stored in BIEL, Normandy

2.1.5. NON-COLLECTED WASTE

Despite the expectations of several stakeholders about large amounts of non-collected waste in the streets of Beirut, we found the actual observed quantities to be negligible (Exhibit 10).

6|USAID DAWERR: RAP D COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVA LABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV

The team contacted the owners of several plants; only few of them showed interest in using crushed glass in their products, mainly for two reasons: (1) lack of sufficient awareness to secure customer acceptance, and (2) absence of previous experience and proven feasibility. Engineering consultancy firms can provide expert opinion as to technical aspects and practical implications of the reuse of recovered Engineering Consultancy Firm glass in construction, road pavements and geotechnical applications. The team met a senior civil engineer at Khatib & Alami engineering consulting firm.

2.2.2. ASSESSMENTS AND STUDIES

2.2.2.1. ORDER OF ENGINEERS AND ARCHITECTS (OEA) OEA mobilized 60 teams of around 350 engineers. The most impacted areas were divided into 97 zones and surveyed within a surface of almost 3 km2. Onsite assessments of damaged buildings were performed by specialized engineers who recorded the data on paper documents. In parallel, the collected information was entered into an electronic application/platform. Data analysis, generation of maps and reports were all carried out using, inter alia, the Geographic Information System (GIS). In total, 2,509 buildings were surveyed. The recommendations resulting from this assessment were that 180 buildings needed evacuation, 389 needed structural strengthening and 100 buildings needed isolation. Based on experts’ judgements, the approximate total surface of shattered glass (in the surveyed area and beyond) is thought to be 500,000 m2 from regular buildings and another 250,000 m2 from towers and skyscrapers (Exhibit 125). The equivalent weight may be estimated (by assuming an average glass thickness of 10 mm and a density of 2.5 tonnes/m3) at 12,500 tonnes and 6,250 tonnes from regular buildings and towers, respectively.

Exhibit 12. OEA surveyed lots and buildings

5 Source: Order of Engineers and Architects, October 2020

9|USAID DAWERR: RAP D COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVA LABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV 2.2.2.2. LEBANESE ARMED FORCES (LAF) LAF performed on-ground surveys in severely damaged areas covering 2.5 km radius from the explosion, as well as less damaged areas up to 7.5 km radius from the blast (Exhibit 136 and Exhibit 146). The total number of affected households was estimated at 80,000, ranging from minor to full damage. In addition, LAF compiled data from damage reports submitted by affected citizens, both inside and outside Beirut, as part of their task to oversee the reconstruction donations and actions. Referring to LAF records, a total surface area of 2,200,000 m2 of glass (equivalent to about 55,000 tonnes7) is needed to replace all the glass that was shattered due to the explosion. This surface includes household buildings and does not account for the damage in governmental buildings. The latter were surveyed by the “Central Inspection” division and the total estimated surface was found to be 43,000 m2 (equivalent to about 1,075 tonnes8) in 99 governmental buildings.

Exhibit 13. LAF’s surveyed areas within 2.5 km from explosion9

6 Source: Lebanese Armed Forces, August 2020 7 Assuming an average glass thickness of 10 mm and a density of 2.5 MT/m3 8 Assuming an average glass thickness of 10 mm and a density of 2.5 MT/m3 9 The colored areas, combined, constitute the region within 2.5 km from the port. The different colors indicate different survey dates. The latter are provided for each colored area, along with the number of surveyed lots on top.

10|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV Exhibit 14. LAF’s surveyed areas within 7.5 km from explosion

2.2.2.3. UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (UNDP) UNDP ran a comprehensive assessment of the Demolition Waste (DW) that resulted from the explosion, namely outside the port of Beirut. They employed UNDP’s Household and Building Damage Assessment (HBDA) toolkit to design the survey questionnaire. The HBDA is a tool used by UNDP in many countries that faced similar situation and was adapted to the Lebanese context. Damaged areas were divided into 139 zones, 36 of which were located in 2 km radius from the blast and designated as the Red Zone. This zone was defined as the area of highest damage and hence closely examined (Exhibit 1510).

10 Source: UNDP, October 2020

11|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV Exhibit 15. UNDP’s Red Zone

More than 700 buildings were inspected in the Red Zone. The information related to quantities and types were collected using Survey123 for ArcGIS application tool deployed on the surveying engineers’ mobile phones. The UNDP team extracted and analyzed maps and georeferenced datasets from the collected information stored in geodatabases. The surface of shattered glass was estimated at 573,135 m2 from blown off windows and doors. The weight of the glass was calculated to be 14,328 tonnes assuming a density of 2.5 tonnes/m3 and an average glass thickness of 10 mm.

Given the widespread damage to windows and doors that went beyond the Red Zone, the UNDP’s 14,328 tonnes estimation of broken glass goes up to 20,000 tonnes if they take into account additional zones examined within the UN-Habitat’s assessment, like Bourj Hammoud, and Hamra districts. In fact, UN-Habitat estimated the total surface area of broken glass to be 795,306 m2, which is equivalent to almost 20,000 tonnes using the same abovementioned density and thickness.

When it comes to specific assessment of the glass component of the waste, and potential solutions for recovery and reuse, attempts were made to synergize the work of ECODIT’s team with that of UNDP. As such, the outcome of this study will provide a specialized analysis that might be adopted by UNDP for future actions.

2.2.2.4. UN-HABITAT In its continuing role in supporting local authorities, UN-Habitat collaborated with the engineering department at Beirut Municipality on a survey for damage assessment right after the blast. The affected areas were divided into two zones (Zone 1 and Zone 2) within 2 km radius from the explosion center (Exhibit 1611). Assessment of Zone 1 was concluded by the end of August, whereas the assessment of Zone 2 was still in progress by October.

11 Source: Municipality of Beirut & UN-Habitat, October 2020

12|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV Exhibit 16. Survey zones adopted by UN-Habitat

Using the Geopal mobile application, data was collected by field surveyors coming from different volunteering engineering consultancy firms. They adopted the Applied Technology Council’s Field Manual (ATC-20-1) to perform their visual inspections. Around 11,000 buildings were inspected. The survey revealed that 0.1% of the surveyed buildings had total structural failure, nearly 7% were classified as unsafe/required evacuation/restricted use, 66% had minor damages and were structurally safe, and 27% were unclassified or vacant plots (Exhibit 1710).

Exhibit 17. Color coded results of UN-Habitat survey

13|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV 2.2.2.5. EUROPEAN UNION (EU)

Right after the explosions of the Port of Beirut, the EU mobilized assistance in terms of funds and expertise for several sectors in Lebanon, such as Solid Waste Management (SWM). Through LDK, a consulting firm in Greece, the EU put in place disaster waste experts from Lebanon and other countries to develop a rapid post explosion CDW Management Plan that ensures sustainable responses on both the short and the longer terms. In this context, the EU identified the waste types, quantities and location through: (1) on foot visual observations inside and outside the Port, (2) imagery and photos, (3) documents and reports, and (4) sampling and analysis. They defined the level of hazardousness of waste by performing analytical testing of contaminants, including asbestos.

Key findings on CDW inside the port area include: (1) asbestos from corrugated roofs of damaged/demolished/cleared buildings is spread throughout the Port site and present in the waste piles; (2) containers of chemicals and hazardous materials are present and are in a poor condition; (3) many buildings are contaminated with asbestos and several are damaged and need demolition, including the silos; (4) there exist several damaged vehicles and vessels. The consulting team developed a comprehensive GIS map showing the waste locations and the proposed work zones for processing/recycling/repackaging/safe storage of waste. They developed a detailed plan for the removal, management and disposal of the CDW inside the port area, following a hazard ranking and prioritization strategy.

As for outside the port, the EU’s role is limited to supporting UNDP on debris assessment and quantifications, and integrating their findings into the CDW management plan for Beirut. Among identified limitations are the absence of segregation of waste, leading to further asbestos contamination, and the lack of a disposal/management solutions for asbestos contaminated waste in Lebanon.

2.2.3. EXISTING MANAGEMENT INITIATIVES

2.2.3.1. RUBBLE TO MOUNTAINS INITIATIVE The Rubble to Mountains initiative groups four stakeholders: AUB Neighborhood Initiative, Development Inc., Lebanon Reforestation Initiative (LRI) and UN-Habitat. They have initiated a manual sorting project of the rubble at Bakalian site. Based on their expert judgement, they expect a total amount of glass waste of about 25,000 tonnes in the CDW piles in Bakalian site. Their initiative partially consists of crushing the glass, mixing it with other recovered materials, and using it to fill abandoned quarries – with proper containment measures. In addition, they plan to apply their small-scale innovative technology, named ROGP (Rejects of Glass and Plastic), to produce tiles that can be used to build street benches and decorative products. Moreover, the Rubble to Mountains initiative team expressed its openness to new glass waste management suggestions. They expect this study to provide the needed technical and scientific analysis to assist them in selecting appropriate applications of the recovered glass.

2.2.3.2. CEDAR ENVIRONMENTAL Right after the explosion, an awareness video was shared on and a hotline was communicated for the purpose of collecting non-contaminated glass from the explosion area. Door- to-door collection was adopted. The collected glass was sent to two small-scale facilities in Tripoli for artisanal recycling of glass. Despite the relatively high cleanliness of the delivered glass, additional extensive sorting and cleaning was needed at the facilities. As of end of January 2021, a total of 125 tonnes of glass waste was recycled into about 155,000 Lebanese traditional jugs.

According to the CEO of Cedar Environmental, the recovery and reuse of the glass in its current situation (i.e. mixed with demolition waste) is not recommended because of the expected high asbestos contamination. Instead, the most feasible solution would be to reuse the demolition waste

14|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV to refill the ground depreciation in the Port caused by the explosion – providing an adequate containment structure is built.

2.2.3.3. ARC EN CIEL (AEC) AEC was the first NGO to initiate separate on-site storage of glass waste. As a result, a large pile so called the “glass pile” exists on Bakalian site. According to AEC’s estimation, the pile should contain no less than 13,000 tonnes of glass waste. They suspect the presence of asbestos and other contaminants; therefore, multiple glass samples from different locations in this pile were sent to a laboratory in France for analysis – yet, the results came out inconclusive because of inadequate sampling procedure. In addition, AEC already ordered glass crushers, which are expected to be put in operation early 2021. As the case of other on-ground actors, they expect this study to provide the scientific background for their future actions.

2.2.4. PERCEPTIONS OF OTHER RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS

2.2.4.1. PUBLIC SECTOR

2.2.4.1.1. Beirut Municipality

Approximate quantities of shattered glass were provided based on experts’ judgements: 30,000 tonnes in total; 15,000 to 18,000 tonnes at Bakalian site and 12,000 to 15,000 tonnes in uncollected locations – mostly in private properties and in the streets of Beirut. The municipality gave clear instructions that the remaining glass in the streets should not be mixed with rubble and should be sent, in separate vehicles, to the Bakalian site to be stored with the rest of the “glass” pile (i.e. the pile dedicated for high glass content waste). Given the high diversity in age, usage and characteristics of buildings in Beirut, a large variety of glass types is expected (regular, transparent, colored, bulletproof, double glazing, anti-reflection, frosted, laminated, etc.).

According to Beirut Municipality, the most feasible potential usages of the recovered glass include: 1) glass beads mixed with road paint, 2) aggregate in temporary concrete, e.g. road separation blocks, and 3) glass pieces used in street wall decorative paint and tiles. Most importantly, the presence of large quantities of demolition piles in Beirut is aesthetically and hygienically not tolerated by the citizens. Accordingly, if the waste is not dealt with fast enough, Beirut Municipality might have no option but to send it to landfills – or other locations they find suitable.

2.2.4.1.2. Ministry of Industry (MoI)

Being the main legislative body when it comes to the use of new materials/products in the Lebanese market, we contacted the Ministry of Industry in order to inquire about the legal aspects of reusing the recovered glass in the construction industry. According to MoI, when a new raw material is introduced, the regulations require that the end product (e.g. tiles, concrete blocks, etc.) meet the standard specifications. In case of a deviation from the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) code/ specifications, an official permit is needed, along with an environmental audit.

2.2.4.1.3. Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MoPWT)

MoPWT encourages innovations in the field of materials used in construction and road paving activities. Yet, in order to agree on the use of new materials, a detailed study should be performed that covers technical, environmental and economic feasibility aspects. The Ministry showed interest in initiating such a study on reuse of recovered glass from waste, in collaboration with a team of professionals – provided the required budget is secured. Furthermore, it is highly recommended to involve LIBNOR specialized committees with the purpose of standardizing the reuse of glass in Lebanon.

15|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV

2.2.4.1.4. Council of Development and Reconstruction (CDR)

Recovered glass has never been used as a replacement of aggregates in CDR-implemented projects. However, the council is open to experiment this new practice. Even though the concept was tested across the world, the challenge remains for the contractors to be able to adapt their methods and equipment to include the new raw material. The council is in favor of initiating a pilot project to test the use of recovered glass in road construction. CDR is also willing to negotiate an agreement with their contractors to run the needed trials, provided they have the technical and financial support.

2.2.4.2. PRIVATE SECTOR

2.2.4.2.1. Glass Recycling Factory (under construction)

There is only one facility in Lebanon for large-scale glass recycling (capacity = 70,000 tonnes/year) that is currently under construction in the Bekaa; expected to be operational in 1 to 2 years – pending due to unfavorable socio-economic conditions in the country. We contacted the owner of the project for the purpose of investigating the possibility of storing the glass waste for future use. However, even if storage is considered, the factory remains unable to use the glass because of adopted international standards (for high-quality products) that allow the use of container glass only as feedstock.

2.2.4.2.2. Artisanal/Small-Scale Recycling Factory

We also made contact with an artisanal/small-scale glass recycling factory called Golden Glass. It is one of the only three small-scale recycling factories in the country. It is a 70-year-old family business in artisanal glass recycling. Usually, the factory receives sorted glass from other industries and produces mostly food preserving containers, along with other artisanal products. Following the explosion, Cedar Environmental has been sending the artisanal shop the clean (indoor) collected glass for processing. As of October 2020, the factory has received a total of about 100 tonnes of transparent container and sheet glass (excluding double glazing or any other non-regular/special type of glass). Considering the importance of the level of cleanliness of glass on the recycling processes and equipment, Cedar Environmental provided two additional employees for further sorting and cleaning. The full processing capacity of the factory is 13 tonnes/day. Yet, given the excessive time needed to manually sort and clean the glass (to reach the required purity), the small plant is not able to process more than 1 tonnes/day of the glass from Beirut. The rest is being stored; the factory possesses a storage location with a remaining space availability for 2,000 tonnes of glass.

2.2.4.2.3. Concrete Mixing Industries

Even though glass containing products have never been used in the Lebanese Market, the contacted industrialists in the concrete mixing sector showed their willingness to try the partial replacement of bound aggregates by recovered glass, provided: (1) the application is technically proven adequate, (2) economic benefits exist and (3) market acceptability is present – probably after awareness campaigns.

2.2.4.2.4. Engineering Consulting Firm – (Khatib & Alami)

The person we reached out at Khatib & Alami recommended four options for the use of the recovered glass: 1) replacement of sand in non-structural elements (e.g. concrete blocks, curbstone, curbside tiles, etc.) where the glass will act as a filler with no contribution to the strength of the element; 2) addition of recovered glass to bitumen asphalt mix to enhance its resistance to thermal gradients and reduce cracking; 3) reprocessing recovered glass into non-transparent glass by adding dark color pigment; and 4) use in applications where the bounding material is resin instead of cement (e.g. in decorative applications).

16|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV

Most affected areas within OEA 750,000 m2 18,000a On-ground survey 3 Km2 b (Exhibit 12) 573,135 m2 14,328a Red zonec (Exhibit 15) UNDP On-ground survey 20,000 tonnes 20,000 Beyond the red zoned a Assuming average density = 2.5 tonnes/m3, with 10 mm average thickness of glass b Covering areas within 2 km radius from the center of the blast c Covering a 2 km radius from the center of the blast, almost overlapping with the surveyed zone of OEA d Covering the whole area considered in UN-Habitat’s assessment

2.3.3. RECOVERABLE PORTION

Despite the repetitive requests of environmental experts to source-sort CDW generated from the Beirut blast, and due to the urgency to remove the rubble from the streets, most of the shattered glass ended up mixed with all other types of waste. Only two initiatives were made to collect the glass separately from other wastes: (1) Cedar Environment, resulting in 110 tonnes of glass that were selectively collected for artisanal glass recycling; (2) Arc En Ciel, leading to a pile (on Bakalian storage site) of demolition waste with relatively high concentration of glass, compared to all other waste piles (usually with negligible proportion of glass). In addition, we observed waste piles with high glass concentrations on private properties (namely BIEL site) where glass collected from Solidere downtown properties is stored. Considering that BIEL site, including the pile of glass, is considered a private property, the access to it depends on the approval of the owners.

Accordingly, the shattered glass may be categorized, based on its fate, as follows:

i. Disposed in landfills and dumpsites, at an early stage, with the mixed waste – thus cannot be recovered; ii. Remaining in the mixed CDW piles, at the different storage sites, but in low proportions (based on visual inspection) – thus expected to be practically non-recoverable, i.e. the recovery process is anticipated to be technically and economically not feasible; iii. The “glass pile” at Bakalian site, which was moved from Mar Mkhayel site where the sorted glass was collected through Arc-En-Ciel’s initiative – expected to be at high proportions and thus considered practically recoverable.

Based on the above, we expect most of the practically recoverable glass to be in Bakalian site, specifically in the “glass pile”. Rough experts’ assessments of the glass waste amount in Bakalian site ranged between 15,000 and 25,000 tonnes. However, ECODIT Liban’s team found out that the quantity is much smaller, by running a quasi-accurate on-site experiments as follows:

- Concomitantly with the asbestos sampling exercise on the “glass pile” also under DAWER R, a 600 m3 portion of the stockpile was separated for each sample collected with the aid of an excavator to obtain a representative sample. The whole glass pile was sampled in three batches of 600 m3 each, indicating a total volume of about 1,800 m3. - Upon the request of this project’s team, a field test was performed (by the on-ground team of Rubble-to-Mountains project) whereby a one cubic meter bag was filled with waste from the “glass pile” and weighed. The in-place density of the waste was found to be 670 kg/m3. - Visual inspections were run by (1) the asbestos sampling team of DAWERR’s project, and (2) the on-ground team of Rubble-to-Mountains project, whereby the proportion of glass in the pile was approximated at 70-80 percent of the waste (Exhibit 19).

Based on the above, the overall volume of recoverable glass is no more than 1500 m3, roughly weighing 1,000 tonnes. The calculated weight indicates that less than 2% of the glass shattered during the explosion reached the glass pile in Bakalian site, and thus considered recoverable.

18|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV Exhibit 19. Visual inspection of glass content

3. ASSESSMENT OF ALTERNATIVES

3.1. ALTERNATIVE APPLICATIONS

Major stakeholders have issued well-structured studies assessing the current situation in Beirut vis-à- vis the conditions of the waste generated from the explosion; and some stakeholders have developed tentative action plans while others already started on-ground activities. This work/report complements the previous studies by providing an analysis of alternative applications for the recovery and reuse/recycling of the glass portion of the waste.

3.1.1. PARTIAL REPLACEMENT OF BOUND AGGREGATES IN CONCRETE AND ASPHALT MIXES

A literature review of academic databases revealed that replacing up to 20% of fine or coarse aggregate in Portland cement mixes does not affect the durability of the concrete (De Castro & De Brito, 2013). However, replacement of coarse aggregate (up to 60%) might cause a reduction in the strength of concrete (Topçu and Canbaz, 2003). In contrast, it was shown that replacing fine aggregate (sand) with finely crushed glass allows better filling of the pores between larger aggregates and create a denser mix (Wang and Huang, 2010; Oliveira et al., 2008). As a result, replacing up to 20% of fine aggregate with crushed glass was found to either have no impact on or improve the strength of the concrete (Limbachiya, 2008; Wang, 2008).

A literature review by Jamshidi et al. (2016) showed that the addition of crushed glass to asphalt mixes improves the structural performance, durability, environmental friendliness, and aesthetic features of pavements. The addition (up to 20%) of crushed glass to asphalt mixes has positive impacts on the mix design by increasing the Stiffness Modulus and reducing the Optimum Binder Content (Shafabakhsh and Sajed, 2014, Hughes, 1990). Adding crushed glass, up to 15%, has no adverse effects on the structural performance (namely tensile strength and resilient modulus) of the asphalt mix (Hughes, 1990). It was shown that substituting up to 20% of fine aggregate with crushed glass improves the dynamic properties of asphalt mixes (Shafabakhsh and Sajed, 2014).

19|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV

4. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS The various alternatives and technical requirements for management of glass debris presented in the previous Sections each have their own benefits and drawbacks. As such the viability of their implementation must be equally evaluated in order for informed decision making to be made that optimally incorporates principles of sustainability, improved resource management / conservation and that are economically and socially feasible.

With this in mind, we used two strategic planning tools to attain a clearer understanding of the project’s requirements and in order to develop the best plan going forward. These tools were:

1) Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) Analysis for the overall existing conditions and potential for glass debris recovery and reuse/recycling; and 2) Multi-Criteria Data Assessment (MCDA) which provides a more detailed comparative assessment of each of the alternatives and which evaluates them against a multitude of criteria covering the general thematic areas of Financial, Technical, Environmental, and Social/Legal aspects.

Based on these analytical tools, strategies for optimal solutions can be drawn and implementation of recovery remediation works can be undertaken appropriately and responsibly.

4.1. SWOT ANALYSIS FOR THE RECOVERY AND REUSE/RECYCLING OF RECOVERED GLASS

SWOT analysis is an effective tool used in strategic planning of waste management projects that gives an understanding of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats involved in any activity. This approach helps in specifying the objectives of any activity by assessing the internal and external factors that are favorable or not and whether they can help or hinder efforts to complete those objectives.

SWOT is used at preliminary stages of planning and acts as a precursor to developing a plan or finding a solution that takes into consideration many different internal and external factors. This exercise aims at maximizing the potential of the strengths and opportunities while minimizing the impact of the weaknesses and threats in order to achieve best results.

For the purpose of this project, we described the financial, technical, environmental, and social/legal aspects for each of the four SWOT factors. It should be noted, however, that SWOT only lists the beneficial and negative factors and cannot devise the plan alone. To be effective, the information SWOT generates must be taken onboard to inform decision-making but additional techniques must be used to develop the detailed plan of action.

28|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV

4.2. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS METHODOLOGY

As previously mentioned, SWOT analysis is only preliminary part of a planning process and cannot devise a plan alone. The list of factors generated by SWOT can be used to influence decisions taken further down the planning process. However, additional planning techniques must be used in order for the best solution to be developed for the fate of the glass.

Given that various technical alternatives for management of the glass exist, decision-makers can apply decision-aiding techniques that provide a systematic and structures method for analyzing available alternatives, both to improve the quality of the decision and to justify any actions taken. Multi-criteria Data Assessment (MCDA) is a technique that can adequately satisfy the requirements for a comparative analysis and is composed of the following components:

1. A given set of alternatives 2. A set of criteria for comparing the alternatives 3. A method of ranking the alternatives, based on how well they justify the criteria.

For the purpose of this assessment, we developed a set of performance assessment criteria and grouped them under four broad category areas including Financial, Technical, Environmental, and Social / Legal Performance Criteria. For each category assessment, we allocated qualitative ratings against each criterion. We made the assessment methodology flexible in order to accommodate different solutions or applications of recovered material, and to incorporate criteria accommodating local priorities and issues, as well as reflect the priorities of the decision-maker and the local community – see Annex 1 for the definitions for each criteria as well as the scoring system that was applied to the assessment methodology.

4.3. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS RESULTS

Based on expert’s opinion, research, and consultation with international industry operators, we provided the criteria for each application a rating - see Annex 2. Based on these results, we discussed the performance of each application in the following sections.

4.3.1. PARTIAL REPLACEMENT OF BOUND AGGREGATES IN CONCRETE AND ASPHALT MIXES

4.3.1.1. FINANCIAL ASSESSMENT The CAPEX needed for the production of fine aggregate that can be used for both concrete and asphalt mixes rated moderately high given the number of process units and the types of equipment required. Acquiring a fine material will need a trommel screen to remove large contaminants, a screening/crushing/vacuum line to achieve the required particle gradation and reduce contaminants levels, a dryer to remove further contaminants and dust, and finally bulk storage silos – the combination of these will significantly increase CAPEX. With regards to OPEX, fuel and power consumption will be relatively high due to the number of process units, however the process will not be very labor intensive but would require a number of skilled mechanical engineers and laborers (5-10) that can be locally available with relevant experience in civil works.

The marketability of processed waste glass as bound aggregate on the other hand was moderately rated. This is mainly due to the fact that quality standards associated with concrete workability, mechanical properties, and durability would likely be sought after by consumers such as contractors and developers. Given the lack of national standards and previous experience in Lebanon, the consumers will need assurance that quality is consistent and it meets their requirements, and these have yet to be developed.

33|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV The local market for recovered glass, as a replacement of bound aggregates, should therefore be built on networks of suppliers and end-users. Establishing market relationships needs to take place at the local level to encourage and broaden the use of the crushed glass in civil engineering applications. Factors to consider include:

● Natural aggregates locally available ● Crushed glass might supplement or complement the natural aggregated supply ● Supply and quantity of crushed glass ● Size and demand ● Applicable local specifications and environmental regulations

We recommend a pilot demonstration programme to help create local demand for crushed glass as an aggregate replacement. Pilot programmes allow local engineers and contractors to become familiar with crushed glass and its physical and engineering properties and to gain their trust in the product. Cost savings will depend on local costs of materials, crushed glass processing costs, and other costs such as transportation. The pilot will also determine the potential long-term viability for the secondary raw material in the local market. This is of utmost importance if the equipment is to be transferred to a prospective crushed glass processing facility, thereby creating a long-term outlet for waste glass recovered from various different sources (e.g. MBT or other material recovery facilities).

4.3.1.2. TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT We rated the application of crushed glass as bound aggregate as relatively moderate across different criteria in the technical assessment. With the exception of the wheel loader and the trommel screen, the suggested mechanical equipment associated with the production of fine aggregate in concrete and asphalt mixes are also commonly used in processing of construction and demolition wastes as well as in mining and quarrying activities and thus can be reused for these purposes but cannot be extended further for processing of general MSW. The trommel screen however is not only suitable for CDW application but is also suitable for high volume compost production as well as wood chippings, top soil, and aggregates.

The equipment will need a moderate amount of process control and control of the output qualities, which local engineers may be able to manage but may require specialized training on the use of the equipment in order to ensure consistent quality outputs and meet potential consumer demands. The glass material recovery rate of this process is also expected to be relatively high considering the quality of the feedstock and that there are various stages for contaminants removal. The residual waste stream, which may still contain other recyclable materials that may unnecessarily end up being discarded in landfill, should not exceed 20-30%.

4.3.1.3. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT The reuse of glass as replacement in bound aggregate has been shown to have positive effects on GHG emissions savings (Singh, 2016) as well as reduced impact on local land resources as a result of minimizing virgin material extraction.

Air emissions that might arise during the operation phase of this application will mostly be associated with particulate matter (PM) generated from material handling using wheel loader or conveyors in addition to processing the feedstock in the trommel screen. Dust emissions of this kind are generally restricted to the working area and perimeter and are usually manageable with typical mitigation measures applied on construction sites for managing dust. Other process units such as the screening/crushing/vacuum line and dryer are likely to be fitted with dust control equipment including a cyclone filter and a scrubber. The latter has the added benefit of reducing the temperature of the exhaust air and thus reducing the potential risk of fires as opposed to baghouse filter. The produced liquid effluent will need to be properly managed and controlled avoiding discharge to surface water bodies.

34|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV Moderate amounts of energy resources will be necessary to operate the equipment given the number of process units. Fuel combustion emissions from operating the equipment will thus be generated but are not envisaged to be highly detrimental given the potential emissions offset from extraction of natural aggregates.

However, given the suspected possibility of asbestos contamination in the debris, the level of threat on workforce and nearby residents’ health and safety from air emissions and wastewater generation is significantly increased and thus special requirements for cleaning of the debris as well as mitigating air borne hazards must be implemented.

4.3.1.4. SOCIAL ASSESSMENT The regular operation of such equipment for the processing of materials would usually cause some potential nuisance to nearby residential units as a result of noise, and dust generated by the crushing machines and handling of material, and these impacts can usually be managed and controlled effectively and easily on site. However, given the suspected contamination of the debris with asbestos, the threat level to neighboring residents and personnel is significantly increased. Therefore, special mitigation measures specific to asbestos handling and management should be adopted to minimize risk and exposure to workforce and other nearby receptors.

National regulations/guidelines regarding the use of crushed glass products are lacking however not prohibitive – provided that quality conforms to international technical standards. If equipment and other assets are transferred for use at a CDW treatment or glass recovery facility, the likelihood for creating long term employment of local staff is relatively high, however this is largely dependent on the ability for a viable market for bound aggregate to be established in the country.

4.3.2. PARTIAL REPLACEMENT OF UN-BOUND AGGREGATES IN INFRASTRUCTURE AND GEOTECHNICAL APPLICATIONS (BASECOURSE AND SUBBASE LAYERS, BEDDING/BACKFILL AND DRAINAGE MATERIAL)

4.3.2.1. FINANCIAL ASSESSMENT Given the lower quality requirements and thus the lower number of process units required (i.e. trommel screen and screening/crushing/vacuum line) in comparison to other applications, the mixing of processed glass cullet with natural unbound aggregate in infrastructure applications such as base- course and subbase layers, bedding/backfill and drainage material, was shown to have one of the lowest CAPEX and OPEX requirements amongst the other applications assessed. This is largely due to the flexibility in the quality requirements of the output material which can sustain higher rates of contamination compared to other applications and the coarse nature of the material.

We estimate the marketability of un-bound aggregate to be high because of the lower performance properties of the material that may be required by the consumer compared to the bound aggregate and its competitiveness with local natural aggregates. Consumers are also more likely expected to use the recovered glass as drainage material due to its high permeability properties, but crushed glass has shown to be cost-effective and technically suitable for road bedding, backfill material, and landfill construction (e.g. leachate collection layer, gas collection wells, and landfill cover) (Lu, 2019; USEPA, 2003; HDR, 1997). Yet, the largest market for this application would be the use of glass as base-course and subbase layers. Similar to the case of bound aggregate, this alternative requires the development of new national standards as well as pilot testing in order to establish long-term market potential for the material.

4.3.2.2. TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT Similar to bound aggregate, the application of broken glass as un-bound aggregate rated relatively moderate in the technical assessment. The type of equipment that will be implemented in the

35|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV processing of debris, namely the wheel loaders and the trommel screen, will likely be most suitable for processing of CDW feedstocks as well as compost-like products, but not for mixed MSW.

The mechanical equipment associated with this application does not require significant process control given the lower number of process units but may require some training of the workforce on their use in order to ensure desired quality outputs are attained. Moreover, a moderately low number of technical personnel will also be necessary (5-10) and can be employed locally with relevant background in civil engineering. We also expect the material recovery rate of this process to be high given the feedstock quality and the technology is perhaps the most versatile of the applications for implementation.

4.3.2.3. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Application as unbound aggregate also rates positively in terms of environmental performance given the GHG savings, and reduced impact to land resources as a result of avoided virgin material extraction. The application will also have greater energy resources conservation since a dryer is not needed and thus will also generate lower water emissions associated with this process.

Due to handling operations and processing of the material, dust emissions are typically generated but can be mitigated with appropriate measures implemented in construction sites. The impact of dust from this process would usually pose no significant health and safety risk once mitigated. Moreover, it has been shown that the use of crushed glass as base material can be safely used without potential short- and long-term toxicity, health hazards, and/or environmental pollution considering conditions during stockpiled storage and after placement (Lu, 2019).

However, given the evidence of suspected asbestos contamination in the debris, the level of threat on workforce and nearby residents’ health and safety from air emissions and wastewater generation is significantly increased and thus special requirements for cleaning of the debris as well as mitigating air borne hazards must be implemented.

4.3.2.4. SOCIAL ASSESSMENT Typical processing operations may cause some nuisance to nearby residential units as a result of noise and dust generated by the machines and handling of material, but usually these impacts can be managed and controlled on site. However, as already noted, with potential asbestos contamination additional measures for management will be required.

National regulations/guidelines regarding the use of recovered glass are lacking however not prohibitive provided quality conforms with international technical standards. The National Waste Strategy is supportive of the application since it respects resource recovery principles. If equipment and other assets are transferred for use at a CDW treatment or glass recovery facility, the likelihood for long-term employment of local staff is relatively high but is dependent on the success of long-term marketability.

4.3.3. GLASS BEADS IN ROAD PAINT

4.3.3.1. FINANCIAL ASSESSMENT The production of glass beads to be used in reflective paints may require different process units depending on whether a coarse or fine product is desired by the end-user and thus this would significantly influence the CAPEX and OPEX of the application. Both coarse and fine products require a screening/crushing/vacuum line and optical sorter which are relatively costly. Furthermore, to produce a finer product, a vertical crusher would be required as well as a dryer and bulk storage silos which substantially increases CAPEX. Operating costs associated with energy consumption are in turn also likely to be higher. Local skilled personnel, who have relevant experience in mechanical equipment

36|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV and civil engineering applications, will likely be able to operate the system and will not likely exceed 5- 10 individuals.

While this application is promoted under MoE’s Circular 7/1, 2017, and is unlikely to cause opposition by contracting authorities (e.g. municipalities, CDR, MoPWT), the market size for using glass beads in reflective paint for roads is unclear. We envisage, however, that the application will require higher quality standards to meet the desired properties required by the consumer. The level of demand of the material is also unclear and must be investigated further before investments in this application are made.

4.3.3.2. TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT Application rated relatively moderately in the technical assessment. Similar to aggregate production, it is expected that the type of equipment that will be implemented for this application (e.g. trommel, screening/crushing/vacuum line, vertical crusher, optical sorter, dryer, and silos) will likely be most suitable for processing CDW and other industrial waste with similar feedstocks, but may not be suitable for mixed MSW. Moreover, the optical sorting machine is also specifically designed for segregating crushed glass by clarity and color as well as from other material such as ceramics, organics, and rocks and thus would be most useful in dedicated glass recovery facility. The equipment is considered to be reliable, however spare parts will need to be imported which may incur high costs.

The vertical crusher and the optical sorter may, however, require additional process control, and training of the workforce on the use of the equipment to ensure that output quality will likely be met. Depending on the quality requirements of the consumer, specifically related to the clarity and color of the glass, the process may result in higher reject material (even glass not destined for use in paint) due to the selective nature of the optical sorter, despite its great effectiveness in segregating materials.

4.3.3.3. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Similar to other applications, the production of glass beads would generate manageable amounts of air emissions (e.g. dust and combustion emissions). However, production of a fine as opposed to coarse product may lead to greater sources of emissions such air and noise (mainly due to vertical crusher, optical sorter, and dryer) as well as requiring a greater consumption of energy resources. Given that, it is unclear whether glass beads are usually locally sourced as an additive to paint and whether there is a high market demand for such a product, it is uncertain whether significant GHG savings can be made with this application. We also consider impacts on land resources and other resources negligible given that only marginal savings on landfill space may be achieved and that the material will not be avoiding extraction of virgin material.

Again, the potential presence of asbestos contamination within the feedstock would significantly increase the impacts threat and special measures are required for control.

4.3.3.4. SOCIAL ASSESSMENT Operations for the production of the glass beads may lead to some nuisance to the immediate residents surrounding the working area in terms of noise generation and dust, however, these impacts should be sufficiently mitigated with best practice measures.

The National Waste Law No. 80, the National Waste Strategy, and MoE Circular 7/1 are supportive of the application since they respect resource recovery principles. However, specifications and quality standards that conform to international standards and safety requirements must be developed for this application to be effective.

The long-term creation of employment opportunities is dependent on whether the equipment will be adopted by a CDW treatment facility and whether sufficient market demand can be successfully established and sustained in the long term.

37|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV 4.3.4. USE AS SECONDARY RAW MATERIAL FOR FIBERGLASS INDUSTRY IN TURKEY

4.3.4.1. FINANCIAL ASSESSMENT The CAPEX and OPEX associated with the export of glass material to the fiberglass industry in Turkey is again dependent on the consumer requirements for a coarse or fine product. Production of fine secondary material for fiberglass requires one of the highest investments amongst all of the applications due to the types of equipment required, namely the screening/crushing/vacuum line, ball mill, optical sorter, dryer and storage silos all of which will also incur higher operating costs due to greater energy requirements and skilled personnel.

The fiberglass insulation manufacturers may be some of the largest consumers of recovered crushed glass (CWC, 1996), and there is certainly a market for export for fiberglass production. However, the specific conditions required by potential consumers for export need to be identified and thus a detailed cost benefit analysis must be undertaken to understand whether such an investment is worth undertaking. The fiberglass industry requires crushed glass which is homogeneous in quality (color and clarity) and has very low level of contaminants (such as metals, ceramics, paper, etc.).

Moreover, given the nature of this project, being the result of an unprecedented disaster, it is uncertain whether in the long run there will be sufficient market demand as well as enough feedstock material to justify investment in such sophisticated equipment as well as sustain the relatively high operating costs of the plant. Further detailed investigation and risk assessment should be carried out prior to investment in this application.

4.3.4.2. TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT Similar to other applications, the equipment needed for recover of glass suitable for fiberglass production will likely be flexible enough for the use in treatment of CDW, glass recovery, and mining applications, but not for processing mixed MSW. The equipment is regarded as being technically reliable but require imported spare parts that can be costly.

The production of a fine raw material for the fiberglass industry would, however, require the highest amount of process control compared to other applications due to the numerous pieces of sophisticated equipment needed for removal of contaminants, segregating types of glass, and pulverization. Ensuring that the process results in a suitably exportable product with low contaminants would likely require greater technical expertise which may not be found locally or requires a substantial amount of training for local personnel to make sure they are able to acquire the desired qualities. The level of material recovery for export may be lower due to the highly selective nature of the process and the requirement to meet specific quality standards for the final product resulting in higher quantities of residuals likely destined for landfill disposal. It is very important that crushed glass must have very low contamination levels and must be segregated by color. Different color groups in glass have different oxidation rates which is critical in ensuring a necessary stable oxidation state in the furnace when producing fiberglass (CWC, 1996). Contaminants such as organics (paper, wood, plastics) can also affect the oxidation state in the furnace and must not be present in the feedstock. Metal contaminants are not oxidized in the furnace and thus sink and form pools of molten metal on the furnace floor causing corrosion and damage to the furnace (CWC, 1996). Likewise, coarse ceramics (including rocks and concrete) in the feedstock can damage the furnace by clogging the furnace spinners used to produce the glass fibers during the fiberization process and must not be present in the feedstock (CWC, 1996).

4.3.4.3. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Locally, the GHG savings and resource conservation levels that may be gained by the export of glass can be viewed as negligible. Emissions to air will also be similar to those posed by processing the material as aggregates with manageable amounts of dust emissions. Production of fine material will

38|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV also result in high energy consumption as well as additional noise emissions during the operating period.

As previously noted, the presence of asbestos contamination within the feedstock would significantly increase the impacts’ threat and special measures are required for control.

4.3.4.4. SOCIAL ASSESSMENT Processing of the crushed glass may result in nuisance to the immediate residents surrounding the working area in terms of noise generation and dust. However, export of the material will have minimal impact on the local population.

The National Waste Strategy is supportive of the application since it respects resource recovery principles. The long-term creation of employment opportunities is uncertain since this is dependent on the ability to establish a secure market for the material for export once treatment of the debris from the explosion has been completed and the equipment is transferred to a dedicated CDW facility.

4.3.5. USE AS FILL MATERIALS IN ABANDONED QUARRIES

4.3.5.1. FINANCIAL ASSESSMENT The application produces no marketable product since the materials will be used for rehabilitating quarries and most likely will be accepted free of charge.

4.3.5.2. TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT Despite being only deposited as quarry backfill, the material will require some degree of processing/sorting prior to being deposited. This would require equipment such as the trommel and wheel loader that may be easily transferred and reused in future for CDW treatment. The application will have a relative high recovery rate since the quality of the material will not necessarily have to conform to very specific quality standards. The number of skilled workforce will be low (around 5 individuals) and the level of process control will likely be low given the types of equipment being operated.

4.3.5.3. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT The potential GHG savings are regarded to be negligible since the application will not necessarily be offsetting the emissions produced from the business-as-usual activities of industry and development, but were not regarded as being detrimental to the GHG emissions. We envisage emissions to air such as dust emissions to be moderate and manageable during the processing stage. Given that for such application the impurities in the crushed glass might be relatively high, a properly designed containment structure is mandatory to mitigate the impacts on groundwater. In all cases, we recommend to have such applications far from water resources. On the other hand, the application will have a significant positive impact on local land resources due to the restorative effect the application will have on disused quarries.

4.3.5.4. SOCIAL ASSESSMENT While the processing of the material may have some impacts on residential areas in the immediate vicinity of the work area during the processing of the material, we do not envisagethe application of the secondary material to land for rehabilitation to have a significant impact due to the natural location of quarries which are often in relatively remote areas of the country. Application to land for rehabilitation purposes is in line with national strategies for waste management. However, this application requires an environmental impact assessment prior to implementation.

39|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV 4.3.6. DISPOSAL IN LANDFILLS

4.3.6.1. FINANCIAL ASSESSMENT No material recovery will be achieved in this scenario and therefore no material will need to be marketed. On the contrary, there will only be a cost for landfilling.

4.3.6.2. TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT By landfilling the waste, no assets will be procured and thus there will be no opportunity of transferring the equipment to local entities which may benefit from the ability to treat CDW.

4.3.6.3. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Despite the inert and stable nature of glass material, the fact that land resources in Lebanon are scarce and available landfill space is very limited, disposal of the material in landfill will have a significant negative effect by consuming unnecessary space within the landfill that can otherwise be used for MSW. Additionally, direct disposal will lose out on the resource value of the material that can otherwise be used in landfill construction such as drainage layers and in gas collection systems.

Moreover, evidence of asbestos contamination would require that the debris cannot be disposed directly to landfill and would require prior treatment.

4.3.6.4. SOCIAL ASSESSMENT While impacts to residential amenity will be relatively transient and manageable, the opportunities for job creation and long-term employment are low/negligible. Moreover, this application does not meet the requirement of national legislation and the national strategy to recover materials and avoid landfill disposal.

40|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BEIRUT EXPLOSION| FINAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV 5. CONCLUSION We undertook an extensive consultation with the on the ground main actors, national and international experts, as well as authorities and private sectors that can influence the applicability and marketability of the outflow of the glass management scheme.

A considerable amount of the shattered glass was disposed with the bulk waste, thus considered no- recoverable. Also, a substantial part remains in the stored mixed waste, but at low proportions, making its recovery technically and economically unfeasible. Practically, most of the recoverable glass is in the so- called “glass pile” on Bakalian site, and was estimated using on-site measurements of the pile volume, glass proportion and in-place density. Accordingly, from a material recovery perspective, while the total quantity of shattered glass is in the order of 55,000 tonnes (equivalent to 2,200,000 m2), it was found that no more than 1,000 tonnes (2%) may be recovered. Additional amounts may be recovered from the private property of Solidere (Biel).

We considered twelve internationally common applications for the reuse and recycling of glass, out of which, we found six alternatives applicable and analyzed them further:

1. Partial replacement of bound aggregates in concrete and asphalt mixes 2. Partial replacement of un-bound aggregates in infrastructure and geotechnical applications (basecourse and subbase layers, bedding/backfill and drainage material) 3. Glass beads in road paint 4. Use as secondary raw material for Fiberglass industry in Turkey 5. Use as fill material in abandoned quarries 6. Disposal in landfills

We defined the technical specifications of the recovered glass for each of these applications, based on international glass reuse standards. The specifications cover major aspects, including size, gradation, shape and level of cleanliness. Where applicable, we discussed replacement proportions of glass and impacts on the final product. For each application, we delineated the recovery processes needed to achieve the target glass specifications, with examples of equipment and cost indications.

A SWOT analysis addressed the overall setbacks and drivers of glass recovery from the CDW of the Beirut blast. Subsequently, we qualitatively assessed alternatives for material recovery and reuse against financial, technical, environmental and social criteria to provide some indication of the pros and cons associated with their implementation. The overall outcome for the broken glass management alternative should aim to:

● Recover the highest amount of glass within reasonable cost; ● Have the greatest outlet for the recovered material; ● Consider the prospect for transfer of equipment for long term implementation to a CDW treatment facility; ● Be environmentally and socially acceptable; and ● Develop local markets for crushed glass as a secondary raw material.

The assessment has shown that the alternative applications presented can each deliver adequate results. However, the practicability of their implementation can differ based on the existing conditions and local context. Specifically,

● Applications that require a product that is finer and with lower contamination levels, such as fiberglass and bound aggregates in concrete, require additional process units, equipment, and technical requirements. With this comes higher costs for investment and operation and greater need for technical and environmental control. However, these factors are variable and are dependent on the requirements of the consumers.

41|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BE RUT EXPLOSION| F NAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV ● Applications where a coarse material is required that can accommodate relatively higher levels of contamination and less sophisticated process units, such as unbound aggregates (basecourse/fill material), might be more appealing and will in practice be more easily attainable. However, the value of that product may not reap substantial profit margins for sale on the local market and thus may not be very attractive for longer term financial investment by local recyclers beyond the time boundaries of the project. ● Establishing a competitive local market for a high-value secondary raw material (e.g. fine glass beads or fiberglass cullet for export), requiring higher glass quality, might be more beneficial for the value chain of glass recycling in Lebanon in the long term, thereby being a financial driver for this sector.

The successful implementation of any of the applications and the potential long-term impact that it may have on the glass recycling sector in Lebanon does not only rely on the selection of the ideal technical solution but also on the preparedness and commitment of stakeholders including international organizations, donor agencies, contracting authorities, implementing partners, local authorities, and contractors. Do such entities have available resources, be it financial or human, to deliver the desired outcomes regardless of which application is selected? What are their priorities and their future plans or strategies? Do these lie within their short- and long-term objectives? These aspects equally need to be addressed in order to ensure a positive outcome that can be achieved not only for responsibly managing glass debris from the blast but also to lead the way in managing sustainably glass and CDW in the long- term.

It is important to mention that we did not consider the potential contamination of the waste with asbestos or other hazardous materials in this analysis. Another complementary project, under DAWERR will cover asbestos contamination and preliminary remediation processes.

42|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BE RUT EXPLOSION| F NAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV 6. RECOMMENDATIONS ON NEXT STEPS The massive waste problem faced upon the explosion should create a momentum for establishing the framework and infrastructure needed to recycle CDW in Lebanon. From this perspective, and based on the outcomes of the report, we recommend moving from emergency response to long-term sustainable solutions. Our main recommendations include:

1. Partnering with on-ground entities to recover the broken glass waste. The findings and lessons learned in this project should be disseminated with the parties working on-ground, or have the intention to mobilize funds for CDW management. Assistance, especially in terms of technical support, is sought by most organizations.

2. Creating local markets for the reuse of recovered glass. One of the major barriers for the reuse of glass waste, as identified in this project, is the lack of a clear fate of the recovered broken glass. This is especially true for the reuse of recovered glass as replacement of bound and unbound aggregates (1st and 2nd applications) and glass beads in paint (3rd application). On one hand, the manufacturers do not see the benefit from changing their methods and the consumers lack previous experience with new products. Accordingly, the project would focus on:

a. Assessing the technical and financial feasibility of introducing new products using the recovered glass. Products would include concrete elements (masonry blocks, curbstone, etc.), pavements materials (asphalt mix, base course, etc.), geotechnical application materials (backfill aggregate, drainage media, etc.) and reflective road paint. The technical specs provided in section 3.1 of this report may be adopted as guidelines. b. Partnering with private manufacturers and contractors to start a new line of products using the recovered glass. c. Initiating awareness and marketing campaigns to favor the usage of the new products.

3. Developing an action plan to promote circular economy of CDW, and divert CDW from landfills and dumpsites. The action plan would aim at defining the measures needed to make the recovery and reuse/recycling of CDW components (e.g. recovered sheet glass, concrete, wood, etc.) feasible and attractive. The actions would focus mostly on engaging and incentivizing the private sector (contractors, investors, research centers, business incubators, etc.) in the CDW management, with limited financial requirements from national authorities.

43|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BE RUT EXPLOSION| F NAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV 7. REFERENCES

ACAPS. (August 2020). Emergency Operations Centre Beirut - Assessment and Analysis Cell - Secondary Data Review. ARRB (2010) Specifications for Recycled Crushed Glass as an Engineering Material. ARRB Group, Melbourne. Clean Washington Center (CWC) (2003) Best Practices in Glass Recycling: Cullet Specifications for Fiberglass Insulation Manufacturing De Castro, S. and De Brito, J. (2013) Evaluation of the durability of concrete made with crushed glass aggregates. Journal of Cleaner Production, 7-14. Disfani, M.M, Arulrajah, A., Bo, M.W. and Hankour, R. (2011) Recycled crushed glass in road work applications. Waste Management, 2341–2351. EU/LDK Consultants (November 2020). Beirut Explosion: Construction and Demolition (C&D) Waste Management Plan - An Overview. EU/UN/WorldBank. (August 2020). Beirut Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment. Florida Department of Environmental Protection (Florida DEP): Converting C&D Debris from Volume to Weight A Fact Sheet for C&D Debris Facility Operators. Accessible from: floridadep.gov Hughes C.S. (1990) Feasibility of using recycled glass in asphalt mixes, Report No. VTRC 90-R3. Virginia, United States: Virginia Transportation Research Council.

Jamshidi, A., Kurumisawa, K., Nawa, T., Igarashi, T. (2016) Performance of pavements incorporating waste glass: The current state of the art. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 64, 211–236.

Lebanese Armed Forces. (August 2020). https://www.lebarmy.gov.lb/ar/armyarchives. Lebanese Republic - Presidency of CoM. (30 August 2020). Beirut Port Disaster - Situation Report. Limbachiya, M.C. (2008). Bulk engineering and durability properties of washed glass sand concrete. Construction and Building Materials 23 (2), 1078-1083. Municipality of Beirut & UN-Habitat. (October 2020). Beirut Municipality Rapid Building-level Damage Assessment. Oliveira, L.A., Castro-Gomes, J.P., Santos, P. (2008). Mechanical and durability properties of concrete with ground waste glass sand. In: 11th International Conference on Durability of Building Materials and Components, Istanbul, Turkey. Order of Engineers and Architects. (October 2020). Beirut Port Explosion of Aug 04 2020: Buildings Final Structural Assessment Report. Shafabakhsh, G.H. and Sajed, Y. (2014) Investigation of dynamic behavior of hotmix asphalt containing waste materials; case study: glass cullet. Case Studies in Construction Matererials, 1, 96–103.

Strategy&Part of the PwC Network. (September 2020). Beirut Explosion Impact Assessment. Topçu, I.B., Canbaz, M. (2003). Properties of concrete containing waste glass. Cement and Concrete Research 34 (2), 267-274.

44|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BE RUT EXPLOSION| F NAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV UNDP. (October 2020). Demolition Waste Assessment Outside the Port of Beirut. UN-OCHA. (August 2020). Lebanon Flash Appeal FINAL. Wang, H. (2008). A study of the effects of LCD glass sand on the properties of concrete. Waste Management 29 (1), 335-341 Wang, H., Huang, W. (2010). Durability of self-consolidating concrete using waste LCD glass. Construction and Building Materials 24 (6), 1008-013 Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) (2018) Standard Specifications for Road, Bridge, and Municipal Construction

45|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BE RUT EXPLOSION| F NAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV

58|USAID DAWERR: RAPID COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING BROKEN GLASS RESULTING FROM BE RUT EXPLOSION| F NAL ANALYSIS REPORT USAID.GOV