BEIRUT: The Lebanese company RAMCO officially took over waste management in Beirut this week after Sukleen announced Wednesday it had wrapped up operations, ending years of waste collection by the controversial company. RAMCO began collecting garbage across municipal Beirut Tuesday, in addition to dispersing recycling bins at a number of waste management centers within the city, a source familiar with the companys contract told The Daily Star.

Beirut Mayor Jamal Itani also announced Wednesday that the municipality launched a new waste management project the previous day, though he did not name RAMCO as the contractor.

RAMCO initially won its five-year contract for Beiruts waste management last September.

The companys official takeover comes as competing company Sukleen released a statement Wednesday announcing that it had ended operations in Beirut.

Upon orders from the Council of Development and Reconstruction ... Sukleen announces that Monday, April 30, 2018, was the last day of work in sweeping and collecting waste inside the city of Beirut and [Beirut Central District], the statement read.

Sukleen added that Beiruts municipality had chosen another contractor to carry out these duties.

Sukleen initially won a contract to collect waste in Beirut in 1994, and its mandate was enlarged by an emergency waste management plan implemented in 1997.

Under the 1997 contract, Sukleens responsibilities were expanded to collecting waste and treating it at the Karantina and Amrousieh plants, while sister company Sukomi was contracted to manage the then-newly established Naameh landfill site.

The contract was extended under much opposition from some ministers in 2006 and 2010, with amendments to the contracts guidelines that were never implemented.

Lebanon saw trash pile up in the streets in 2015 after the waste management company halted operations due to a lack of storage space and the closure of the Naameh landfill.

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