The last glass recycling factory in Sarafand struggling in the absence of any government interest

As Safir newspaper published a report about the glass blowing factory in Sarafand, the only remaining such factory in Lebanon which refuses to give up despite the absence of markets and the high production costs including the cost of fuel and labor.  All other similar workshops closed and the last was located in Beddawi which closed some ten years ago.

According to the report, the Cedar Environmental organisation who is interested in waste recycling, has lately taken the initiative to provide the factory with a quantity of glass suitable for recycling with a request to turn these into glass chandeliers.  The association will then sell these at reasonable prices so that they can encourage the Sarafand factory to remain open on the one hand and contribute to recycling waste on the other.  Hussein Khalifeh, the owner of the Sarafand factory, goes around glass producers in the area including Tyre, Saida and Ghazieh where he collects damaged glass, for which he pays around USD100 for a ton of clear and transparent glass in addition to collecting used bottles and broken glass from car wrecks.  Although clear glass is better for production, glass collected for dumps is the most profitable.

With the help of Cedar Environmental group, Khalifeh can now keep his oven on.  He notes that the oven cannot be turned off as one hour off will delay production by 6 hours which increases the production costs.  He noted that they pay from USD 250 to USD 300 for fuel and electricity every 24 hour and that is why they produce glass all day long as they cannot afford to rest at night.  This means that 6 workers, all related, take over the shifts and are flexible in receiving their wages which amount to USD1000 per month for each.

Khalifeh deplored the absence of the state.  If, according to Khalifeh, the state took more interest in preserving the environment and recycling waste, it would have been the first to support such factories all over Lebanon. He added that all that is needed is help in marketing and in subsidizing the cost of fuel and electricity.  He pointed out that the MOSA showroom for Lebanese handicrafts has given up on its pioneer role to support Lebanese artists and crafts.  When asked, he added that this may be due to the lack of funds and markets.  He concluded by saying that some citizens do gather their used glass and bring it to the factory.  However, he deplored the role of municipalities in South Lebanon in dealing with solid wastes as they do not have any current plans for sorting and recycling.

Source: Al-Safir 7 May 2014