The Palestinian Ministry of Local Governance and the Ministry of Environment endorsed a National Strategy for Solid Waste Management in May 2010. In order to improve the general sanitary conditions and to avoid negative impacts on natural resources, the general environment and human health by malpractices of waste disposal, it is intended to implement a comprehensive Municipal Solid Waste Management System comprising 68 Local Governmental Units in the Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate. The new Solid Waste Manegemtent System will be managed by the Joint Service Council for Solid Waste Management – Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate and it will comprise the construction of a sanitary landfill. The landfill will serve all local government units (LGU’s) in the Governorate of Ramallah/Al-Bireh. The member of the JSC are the 68 LGU’s in the Governorate. The project has been prepared within the framework of the German-Palestinian Financial Cooperation through the KfW Development Bank (KfW) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer International Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

The total area for the project is 208 donums located in area C to the east of the governorate near Rammoun village, and the total volume is 2.75 million cubic meter and divided into 4 cells, the designed life period of the SLF will be 20 years. Five proposed locations for Transfer station in the governorate will be assigned and monitored.

The project will have the following major benefits:

• A waste disposal solution will be implemented that protects public health and the environment:
• 83 existing dumpsites will be closed down, thereby in each case a threat to public health and a source of environmental contamination will be removed. Especially the groundwater contamination and the air pollution by the common burning of the waste will be considerably reduced.
• The proposed landfill will be designed, constructed and operated to protect public health and the environment.
• It will create employment opportunities.