BEIRUT: The Cabinet is expected to discuss solutions to the controversial issue of waste disposal and treatment soon, as Environment Minister Mohammad Machnouk said he would soon submit a proposal that excluded the renewal of Sukleen's contract.
Machnouk was quoted Friday by Al-Liwaa that he would be ready to present his proposal at the Cabinet meeting next week.
“The proposal does not include the renewal of Sukleen’s contract, but the launching of a bidding process according to regulations,” Machnouk was quoted as saying.
Sukleen has handled garbage collection in Beirut and some 225 towns and villages in Mount Lebanon since 1995 under a renewable five-year contract signed with the mother company, Averda. Two contracts were also signed with Averda in 1998 for composting and landfilling by Sukomi.
Despite the fact that Sukleen and Sukomi are paid with public funds, the terms of the contract between their owner and the government remain secret.
In 2010, March 8 ministers voted against renewing the Averda contract unless the terms of the company’s agreement with the government were disclosed to the Cabinet.
Yet despite claims that other companies could do the job for half the price and should be allowed to enter a bidding process, Averda’s contract was renewed. Saad Hariri, who was prime minister at the time, argued it was too late to look for alternatives, as Sukleen’s contract had already expired.
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