Across the Gaza Strip, huge piles of debris dot the landscape. More than two years of war between Hamas fighters and Israel has left the area covered with some 57 million tons of broken concrete and other debris.
Since three-quarters of Gaza’s built environment has now been destroyed, several reconstruction scenarios are being considered. One of the most technically and politically sensitive options is to recycle the debris to extend the enclave’s Mediterranean coast and build artificial islands offshore.
recycling barriers
This approach has the advantage of absorbing part of the massive amount of war debris, while reducing the need for dredging and the extraction of new material for building construction.
However, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)UNEP) cautioned that there was not enough debris available for the huge engineering project.
co-chairs the agency Debris Management Working Group Which highlighted a reconstruction plan adopted by an extraordinary Arab summit in Cairo to restore 14 square kilometers (8.7 sq mi) of land.
The project will require approximately 200 million cubic meters of aggregate but only 10 million cubic meters of this can be obtained from recycled debris.
“Even if more than half (20 million cubic meters or about 55 percent) of all the debris generated in Gaza were recycled, this would still supply only about 10 percent of the total volume needed for reclamation projects of this scale,” the UNEP document says.
The UNEP document stresses the need to assess such projects according to feasibility, cost and reconstruction priorities.
It states that recycled debris can be used to create artificial islands, or to fill and raise low-lying land, provided the material is clean and suitable from a geotechnical point of view.
Much of Gaza City has been destroyed in the conflict.
building blocks
Under the scenarios reviewed, large blocks could be used as foundations on the seabed, while recycled debris could be used to strengthen breakwaters and coastal defences. With the need for new drainage systems, better materials can be used to raise the land and reshape the coastline.
But a central question remains: the nature of the debris. Gaza’s debris includes a wide mix of materials from destroyed buildings. In addition to concrete, tiles, metals – including reinforced steel – that can be reused, many other elements from asbestos-containing sediments to furniture cannot, not to forget human remains that have not yet been uncovered.
Given these complexities, UNEP emphasizes that all non-recyclable and hazardous waste must be thoroughly sorted before use.
Boosting Recycling Efficiency
Meanwhile, UN teams are setting up two recycling centers in Gaza to turn debris into construction materials. While concrete, brick, stone and tiles are relatively easy to process, UN experts are concerned about the possible presence of asbestos as well as chemicals and industrial waste in the collapsed roof.
Unexploded ordnance poses an even greater threat, as it can contaminate the soil or detonate accidentally, while progress remains dependent on the entry of heavy earth-moving equipment which is banned by Israel on security grounds.
Debris management also raises sensitive heritage and safety issues. The debris includes historical, archaeological, architectural and cultural sites destroyed during the war.
Lessons from Lebanon and Japan
Despite these obstacles, several international precedents indicate whether debris could be used in Gaza reconstruction planning.
In Lebanon, after the civil war, Beirut used debris to reclaim land from the sea, including the Normandie Landfill and the rebuilt city centre. But that experience was marked by environmental and governance disputes, according to the UNEP document.
In Japan, after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, debris was extensively sorted and reused to protect the coastline, raise ground level, and support reconstruction. UNEP says this shows how large-scale debris recycling is possible, provided strict technical and environmental controls are in place.
But such examples cannot be implemented without strong legal and environmental safeguards.
According to UNEP, any use of debris in the marine environment must comply with Palestinian Environmental Law No. 7 of 1999, which requires environmental impact assessments for projects that may affect the ecosystem.
Beyond national legislation, the document recommends taking into account international and regional frameworks relevant to the Mediterranean Sea to identify good practices and address cross-border concerns.
