- Lebanon threw a "Stress and Waste Management" party on Sunday
- Participants take turns using hammers and baseball bats to destroy waste like glass bottles
- The initiative was created to tackle both stress and waste problems
- The waste is recycled after the event ends
“I will break everything,” Tarek Makdessi said as he grabbed a sledgehammer and went berserk, smashing glass bottles while people partied on the floor above. He moved on to an old TV set, beating it relentlessly and scattering pieces everywhere.
Instead of being thrown out by security, Makdessi was applauded for his contribution to the inaugural “Stress and Waste Management” party held Sunday by a new initiative called Kasser.
“It felt great,” Makdessi, 24, shouted over the music, as he took off the protective gear over his clothes. “I was thrilled to do it. I’d break things everyday if I could,” he said.
Kasser was founded by four friends, Cynthia Bitar, Ghassan Adib, Paul Hnein and Maria Dolores Gebrail, in an attempt to solve both stress and waste problems in the country.
“The two biggest problems we have today are waste and stress. Everybody’s always on edge. You feel it even on the street and when you’re talking to people. We wanted to do something that tackles both, and that’s how Kasser started. ... Instead of going home and yelling at the family, people can come and break a TV here and go back happy.”
Near a booth stocked with hammers and baseball bats at KED in Karantina, others waited their turn to have a go at the porcelain toilets, glass bottles and electronic waste lined up to be annihilated at the event billed as a way to engage people in an environmental cause in a “fun way.”
Once a breaking session is over, cleaners sweep away the wreckage, filling it into blue cloth bags to be transported to recycling centers for a chance at a brand new life instead of ending up in a landfill.
“We’re collaborating with Kasser to recycle things that are being smashed. We’re recycling metal, paper, cardboard and plastic,” Paul Abi Ishaaq, manager of the education and awareness department at the Lebanese NGO Arc en Ciel, told The Daily Star. “We get the recyclables, compress them and send them off to companies in Lebanon and sometimes abroad.”
So far, he said, people have been curious about the fate of the smashed items. “They’ve been asking us what we do with the pieces and how we recycle them. People are starting to show an interest in recycling and its impact in Lebanon.”
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NGO Recycle Lebanon is also working with Kasser to deal with the waste products, and will take responsibility for the glass. This includes 24,000 bottles from Lebanese beer brewer Almaza, as well as leftovers of beer bottles from the party. They also provided the reusable cloth bags to ensure plastic bags aren’t used for transporting the waste.
Joslin Kehdy, who founded Recycle Lebanon in the wake of the waste crisis in 2015, said that a related NGO, Recycle Beirut, recently acquired a new machine that makes tiles out of the broken glass.
In addition to recycling the smashed waste, Arc on Ciel, Recycle Beirut and Recycle Lebanon worked on the ground to spread awareness about recycling in Lebanon.
“We want to try to psychologically plant the question of ‘What happens to the broken pieces?’ into the minds of people here, without coming off too strong.
“It’s important to think about why we’re smashing these things. Could it be repaired or stay as a vintage item that still holds value? Then we can set them aside,” Kehdy said.
The event also provided an opportunity for the NGOs to engage with people otherwise not actively involved in environmental causes.
“You need the public, the industry and legislation to push a change. But it’s not going to happen if the public isn’t there. Events like this make people come and realize what can be done,” Kehdy said.
After grabbing drinks and hitting the dance floor where prominent DJs like Ziad Ghosn and Pablo Abouzeid spun their beats, more people headed down to finish off the party with loud bangs. Some shouted and screamed as they swung the hammers and bats back and forth, venting their anger and frustrations.
“I broke the bat!” one participant, Ahmad Hammoud – who normally identifies as a “peaceful person” – announced. “The idea that all of this is going to be recycled is amazing,” he added.
While Kasser is still experimenting, future plans include “transitioning into a mobile business,” Adib said, meaning that they would transport the waste smashing parties to other venues. “We just want potential funders to feel it and see it first.”
This article has been adapted from its original source.
