Beirut, Dec 21 (IANS): The World Bank has agreed to fund Lebanon with $8.86 million to curb harmful emission from open burning of solid waste in Lebanon and improve its waste management.

The World Bank said on Tuesday in a statement that the financial aid will also help Lebanon to "recycle and composite solid waste at the municipal level, and reduce the exposure of residents of the north and south of the country to hazardous substances".

The deal was signed by Lebanese Environment Minister Nasser Yassin and Jean-Christophe Carret, country director for the World Bank's Middle East Department (Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria), Xinhua news agency reported.

The aid will be financed by the Global Environment Facility, a multilateral funder of green endeavours in developing countries which comprises UN affiliates and national entities.

Yassin said that the project will develop an integrated solid waste management system in certain waste service zones under the Ministry's guidelines, starting with in-depth assessments of disposal sites to see if they are technically, financially and institutionally feasible for interventions.

For his part, Carret called on Lebanon to enforce environmental governance with the implementation of sector reforms to achieve resource recovery opportunities and ensure the financial sustainability of strongly needed infrastructure investments which can create green jobs.