However, due to restrictions on the Palestinian Territories by the Israeli authorities, there are several different challenges that make trash collection and waste disposal no easy task throughout different parts of the West Bank.
This need is being met to an extent, but there is much work that needs to be done. Also, it’s being met in certain parts throughout the Palestinian Territories better than others.
People cope with waste disposal by burning their trash. In cities, there are small dumpsters on the side of roads that the municipality is responsible for picking up. Additionally, there are paid employees of the municipalities who serve as street cleaners, particularly in and around the city center. There also are a few metal cages around, usually near grocery stores, that people can dispose of their recyclables like boxes and plastics. However, I’m not sure if these materials always get recycled or not because I frequently see non-recyclable trash thrown in them and sometimes, I also see the contents of these containers on fire.
In some areas of the West Bank, such as the area just behind and around the Qalandia Checkpoint, there are no trash collection services or waste disposal services. The reason for this is linked to an agreement between Israeli and Palestinian authorities that neither party governs these areas for different political reasons. This leaves the burden of neighborhood maintenance and services of all kinds up to the residents of these areas. Residents of these communities try their best to maintain order and provide basic services such as repaving roads, directing traffic and even trash collection with the little resources they have.
