Solid Waste Management in the West Bank: Institutional, Legal, Financial Assessment and Framework Development

This study aimed to assess the institutional, legal and financial aspects of SWM in the West Bank in order to suggest necessary measures to achieve higher levels of sustainable development. It describes the problems, issues and challenges of SWM sector. Furthermore, it discusses approaches to possible solutions that can be undertaken to promote this sector and improve the level of services. The study relied on data collection mainly based on a questionnaire, and other supporting data collection tools such as interviews with local authorities, staff involved in waste management and observations and documentary analysis. The study, moreover, analysed information on SWM institutions and the nature of legal and financial status of this sector and how this aspect was reflected on services availability and waste disposal practices. Despite the construction of some sanitary landfills, there is still little consideration of environmental impacts resulting from the activity of SWM. There is no separation of hazardous and medical waste in all localities, let alone the improper disposal of waste in many dumping sites in the West Bank. It is true that there has been an improvement in the collection and transfer of SW, but there are still great efforts needed to include this service. There are limited activities for recycling to reduce waste generation, but these have not reached a national level. Most LGUs suffer from serious financial problems, thus affecting the level of delivered services. These financial problems are due to low fee collection rates resulting from the weakness of collection, mechanisms of fees, poor awareness of citizens about the importance of supporting this sector, weakness of the economic situation and poor investment in it. The institutional domain ranked moderately (1.97 out of 3) on the eight institutional aspects whereas the legal domain and the financial domain ranked the lowest (1.79) and the highest (2.25) in the moderate level respectively. There was still weakness in the implementation of the tasks of SWM operations among the current institutional, financial and legal situations of waste management. This leads to difficulties in achieving the goals of NSSWM (2010-2014). There is an urgent need for the integration and enforcement of these laws. The current legal situation must be modified to suit the goals of the NSSWM and to encourage the private sector to invest in SWM. Attention must be given to community participation, one of the successful tools to develop this sector. Cost recovery is essential to the effective performance of waste management systems. The top-down solutions in management and decision making for SWM will not lead to sustainable development. This sector needs more interest and care to reach the desired development of the community.