Aleppo – Mohammed Deeb Bazt
Residents of the Midan neighborhood (a central neighborhood in Aleppo) and several eastern districts of Aleppo (northern Syria) are increasingly struggling with piles of uncollected garbage in the streets, amid the absence of effective solutions from the city council.
Locals attribute the worsening problem to weak sanitation services, which have led to foul odors and a rise in insects in residential areas.
In neighborhoods such as al-Shaar (an eastern district of Aleppo) and al-Sakhour (eastern Aleppo), residents are forced to live with constantly overflowing dumpsters, with the smells and insects becoming especially unbearable in the summer heat.
In other areas such as al-Meridian (a commercial neighborhood in central Aleppo), al-Jamiliya (a western neighborhood of Aleppo), and al-Mohafaza (a central district of Aleppo), where services are expected to be better, the situation is not much different due to the slow response of cleaning crews.
At the same time, these districts continue to suffer from deteriorating post-war infrastructure, including damaged roads and broken containers, which make regular waste collection even harder.
Improving sanitation, residents say, requires a long-term plan that strengthens the workforce, provides equipment, and raises environmental awareness.
Daily Complaints From Residents
Garbage piles often remain for days without being collected, according to Mohammad Marati, a resident of the Maysaloun neighborhood (an eastern neighborhood of Aleppo). He told Enab Baladi that the situation has become “unbearable,” especially with high temperatures intensifying the odors.
Zein Jumaa, from Midan, said the problem is compounded by trash accumulating near schools and markets, worsening residents’ suffering. Some families, he added, have resorted to burning garbage themselves to get rid of the smell, producing harmful smoke that particularly affects children, such as the waste pile right next to Zaki al-Arsouzi School.
Motaz Jumaa, a resident of al-Shaar, noted that sanitation improved in the main streets after a campaign launched by the governorate in June, but conditions quickly deteriorated again as garbage began piling up in smaller alleys. “The improvement was temporary,” he said, adding that continuous follow-up is still lacking.
Mahmoud Tahan, a shop owner in the Salah al-Din neighborhood (a southern neighborhood of Aleppo), explained that the problem is not new but has recently worsened. He added that while a large-scale cleanup campaign was carried out, the improvement was short-lived. “It’s as if these campaigns are just for show, to appease residents or for taking pictures,” he said.
Residents differ in their interpretation of the causes. Some believe the shortage of workers and vehicles is the main reason, while others point to poor organization and oversight by the city council. Many stressed that there are too few dumpsters, which overflow quickly, forcing people to throw trash beside them.
Health Risks of Waste Accumulation
The problem is not only visual but also poses health concerns, with risks of seasonal diseases such as diarrhea and fevers among children, as well as providing a breeding ground for insects and rodents, increasing the spread of leishmaniasis, locally known as “Aleppo boil.”
Residents of Midan and eastern neighborhoods are calling for a more consistent plan to address the sanitation crisis, including more dumpsters, intensified collection campaigns, and fixed schedules. They also suggested greater cooperation with community initiatives to ease the burden on the city council.
City Council Response and UNDP Partnership
Mohammad Ali al-Aziz, head of Aleppo City Council, told Enab Baladi that the worsening garbage crisis in eastern neighborhoods, particularly Midan, stems from several issues: a shortage of waste compactors, too few dumpsters, a lack of workers, and a rising population since the city’s “liberation.”
He said the council receives residents’ complaints both in writing and through social media, and that they are “officially referred to the responsible department,” with immediate action promised.
According to al-Aziz, the city is expected to sign an agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) soon, in addition to launching the “For Your Eyes, Aleppo” campaign to increase the number of compactors and dumpsters and to raise donations to cover some workers’ wages.
He also mentioned a plan to outsource sanitation to private companies, which would take over collection, recycling, and energy extraction from waste in a bid for a more sustainable solution.
Waste Volume Has Tripled Since 2016
During a July community session, al-Aziz said that the volume of waste produced in Aleppo has nearly tripled since 2016, rising from 650 tons a day to more than 1,850 tons today.
While the number of sanitation workers increased from 350 to 1,200, he said another 75 workers are still needed. Despite job postings offering salaries of about $150 a month, he noted, the response has been limited.
He added that some random waste dumps come from private transport trucks, which are outside the council’s responsibility. Meanwhile, several local companies and organizations have offered to take over the entire waste management process, from household collection to sorting and recycling, with the potential to improve sanitation in the near future.
Official Campaigns Continue
Despite official efforts, residents say that cleanup campaigns only bring temporary improvements, with garbage quickly piling up again.
On September 20, Aleppo Governorate launched a cleaning campaign from Saadallah al-Jabiri Square in the city center to mark World Cleanup Day. The governorate said the aim was to raise awareness about public cleanliness and encourage citizen participation.
In June, the governor of Aleppo, Azzam al-Ghareeb, visited al-Shaar and ordered a comprehensive cleanup campaign there, which lasted several hours and covered both main streets and side alleys, including trash removal, road cleaning, and disinfecting public areas.
In July, the governorate launched another wide-scale campaign under the slogan “Keep It Clean” in al-Sakhour, with hundreds of volunteers and residents taking part.
Al-Ghareeb emphasized at the time that the campaign was part of a broader program to promote cleanliness as a daily community culture.
In late August, the governorate announced the distribution of 1,000 new dumpsters across Aleppo, including in neighborhoods such as al-Salihin (an eastern neighborhood of Aleppo) and Karm Homed (an eastern neighborhood of Aleppo), as part of the “For Your Eyes, Aleppo” campaign in cooperation with the city council.
Yet, despite these efforts, garbage continues to pile up on sidewalks and streets across many neighborhoods, hindered by shortages of workers and vehicles. As a result, improvements remain limited and short-lived.
Garbage Crisis Persists in Eastern Aleppo, Syria Enab Baladi.
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