Amal Ephrem, composting expert, and Ali Sabbagh, general coordinator of the Assabil association. (Credit: Marc Chami)
Liqa (“meeting” in Arabic) is much more than just a composting project. Launched in May 2023 by Amal Ephrem, a composting expert, Iman Rizk, an active member of the project, and Ali Sabbagh, general coordinator of the Assabil association, the initiative consists of making the Jesuit Garden, located in the Geitawi district of Beirut, an example of sustainable development on a local scale. In one year, the Liqa project has already filled its composters three times, demonstrating the growing enthusiasm of residents for this ecological gesture.
"We are friends of nature, and it is important to act for sustainable consumption," stated Imane Rizk, expressing the collective spirit that animates the participants, while nearly thirty families are now actively participating in the composting of their organic waste. The members of Liqa say that this project is aimed at all citizens, emphasizing the importance of "civic education," and insist on each individual adopting sorting and composting habits. By transforming a public space into a place to meet and share ecological and social values, Liqa is therefore not only a response to environmental challenges but is also a way of weaving social ties between neighbors, united around a common passion.
Moreover, the idea of creating a composting site in the Jesuit Garden came from a local resident, who suggested to the Assabil Association that they install composters, Ephrem told L'Orient-Le Jour. Assabil, founded in 1997 to promote access to education by opening public libraries, including the one in the Jesuit Garden, immediately seized the opportunity to join this ecological initiative. Despite initial reluctance from the Beirut municipality, which feared problems with odors and waste management, the project finally obtained the necessary authorizations after a year of procedures.
Composting, an ecological and social gesture
The composting process is simple: Residents throw their organic waste (fruit and vegetable peels, dead leaves, eggshells) into specially installed composters behind the library of the Jesuit Garden. These composters, donated by the social enterprise “Compost Baladi” despite their high cost, are carefully managed to avoid bad odors and ensure efficient transformation of waste into compost.
Ephrem explained that the compost resulting from the thermal decomposition process is then sold in the form of bags for indoor plants. This compost, or soil enricher, is the result of a decomposition where heat plays a central role: Thermophilic microorganisms, which thrive at high temperatures, accelerate the degradation of organic matter. This heat promotes the proliferation of bacteria and helps break down more resistant materials, such as branches and pieces of wood, making the final compost more homogeneous and nutritious for plants, according to the expert. The compost bags sold help to finance new educational and public projects supported by Assabil.
Two composters at two different stages of decomposition of organic waste. (Credit: Marc Chami)
A project rooted in sustainable development
Liqa is therefore part of a broader approach to sustainable development, a "pillar of the collective" according to Ephrem. In addition to its environmental benefits, the project strengthens social cohesion in the neighborhood and raises awareness among residents of the importance of sustainable lifestyles. Project managers ensure that the composters are regularly maintained to avoid any odor problems, thus guaranteeing a pleasant environment for all.
Sabbagh insisted on the importance of education and learning through initiatives such as Liqa.
"It is very important to animate the neighborhood through education and to create social bonds around public projects," he stated, emphasizing the central role of the library and the Jesuit Garden in this dynamic. This project, still modest but full of great hopes, is now recognized throughout the neighborhood, according to its initiators, and the idea of participation is transmitted by word of mouth.
This article originally appeared in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.