After Israel's relentless strikes, what is Lebanon's long-term plan for clearing war rubble and rebuilding infrastructure?

On 15 November, 2024, images of a collapsing residential building in Lebanon's Tayyouneh district of Beirut were shown repeatedly on TV screens and social media.

These destroyed apartments are among the 45,000 housing units destroyed across the country during the Lebanon-Israel conflict, with World Bank statistics indicating that approximately 10 percent of Lebanon’s pre-conflict housing has been impacted.

Hassan Ktaech, the Vice President of Environment at CE3 Group — a company specialising in waste management and post-disaster site evaluation — spoke to The New Arab about the likely contents of the rubble.

“Apart from the typical construction and demolition waste, the rubble is expected to contain a wide range of hazardous substances, including unexploded ordnance, asbestos-based materials, heavy metals from electrical components, and traces of uranium and white phosphorus left behind by the weapons,” he said.

“This poses serious long-term human and environmental risks, as these pollutants can contaminate Lebanon's soil and water resources,” he added, noting that he had previously worked on the response after the Beirut port explosion, which also left a significant trail of destruction.

In Lebanon, there is a lack of clarity around the fate of the rubble caused by the Israeli bombing. Some say there is a risk that the rubble will be dumped into the sea, while others within civil society urge for a sustainable, environmentally friendly solution. 

So what will Lebanon do with the war’s rubble? We examine here: 

What was the total rubble output of the war?

In Lebanon today, piles of brown rubble, often protruding with metal and plastic, have become a common sight.

According to the United Nations, the war has generated an estimated 20 million tonnes of rubble.

That being said, the World Bank and Lebanon’s government provide slightly different figures, citing between 14 million cubic metres of rubble, which is equivalent to between 22.4 and 35 million tonnes.

Carla Khater, the spokesperson for the Minister of Environment’s rubble management programme and research director at the National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS-L), told The New Arab that the actual amount of rubble requiring sorting and disposal is likely to be much less.

“Part of the rubble was removed through private efforts, with people sorting recyclable materials such as steel and aluminium, and selling them through the private sector,” she explained.

How can past rubble management efforts inform future actions?

As previously reported, post-war reconstruction has often been linked to the destruction of national heritage, urban sprawl, and environmental degradation.

Following the Civil War (1975-1990), much of the rubble was used to reclaim land from the sea, with the most prominent example being the Beirut waterfront district.

Fast forward to 2006, the war between Israel and Lebanon generated six million tonnes of rubble, much of which was dumped into the sea, causing horrific odours and severe ecosystem degradation, according to a report by the American University of Beirut’s Nature Conservation Centre.

Following the port explosion in August 2020, up to one million tonnes of rubble were generated, with the majority being sent to open-air landfills or disposed of informally across the country.

Elie Mansour, who co-leads a UN Debris Taskforce assisting the Lebanese government in rubble management, shared that “close to 100% of the rubble has been cleared in the southern suburbs of Beirut,” with figures standing at 100% in the Beqaa region and 80% in the South.

In the southern suburbs of Beirut, “the rubble has already been transported to temporary sites, as inhabitants had to return immediately,” said Carla.

In the Beqaa and South, the transportation of rubble to official temporary sites is dependent on a World Bank loan agreement.

Through what strategies is Lebanon planning to manage the rubble?

Given the scale of the destruction and Lebanon’s economic crisis, the country finds itself once again reliant on the international community.

The World Bank, along with Lebanon's Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR), has designed a $1 billion plan to support the reconstruction of infrastructure and ensure the “sustainable management of rubble.”

This plan, which is dependent on a $250 million loan from the World Bank, has already allocated $50 million for rubble management, with the loan being approved on June 25, 2025.

As Carla puts it, the Lebanese government’s strategy involves moving the rubble to temporary sites, where it will remain until permanent disposal locations can be identified.

In January 2025, the Lebanese Council of Ministers authorised the use of rubble from the southern suburbs of Beirut to expand the Ghadeer landfill, also known as the Costa Brava site, by 150,000 square metres.

As for the South and Beqaa regions, the rubble will be used to rehabilitate quarries through infilling and landforming – a process that involves moving soil to manage water flow for crop cultivation or prevent soil erosion.

Interestingly, using non-recyclable rubble to address abandoned quarries, which contribute to airborne pollution, is not a new concept. A similar initiative was proposed following the port explosion, although funding issues halted progress.

When asked why the government was pursuing a project that had previously failed to be implemented thoroughly, the Ministry of Environment responded that it had no clear answer.

Does the plan address environmental and human health concerns?

In addition to concerns about the use of white phosphorus by the Israeli army, the war debris presents further threats to both the environment and human health.

The response designed by the World Bank and CDR seeks to mitigate the consequences of such widespread destruction in terms of both waste volume and pollution.

To reduce the amount of rubble that ends up at the Ghadeer landfill or in abandoned quarries, Carla points out that the government has set a target of repurposing 30% of non-hazardous waste through circular economy initiatives.

According to the CDR, rubble can be used to produce construction materials such as masonry blocks, concrete, and aggregates for roads, while metals can be recycled.

However, stockpiling rubble could also pose a risk of airborne and water pollution.

“Not all debris can be stockpiled,” explained Hassan. “If stored in deteriorated conditions – such as those typically found in post-war contexts – they can become sources of airborne pollution, which may lead to diseases such as cancer.”

Carla added, “Temporary sites have been or will be subjected to initial environmental examinations, while the final sites, including the quarries, will undergo environmental impact assessments.”

Regarding hazardous waste, the Lebanese government is still unclear about the full composition of the materials.

However, Carla informed The New Arab that “a hazardous waste facility” is under preparation – the first of its kind in the country.

Laure Delacloche is a French freelance journalist based in Beirut, Lebanon. She focuses on social issues, especially how crises impact women. Her work has appeared in French and international outlets, and she is a member of Solvo, a solutions-oriented collective of journalists

Follow her on X: @LaureDelacloche