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Building scrap based industries : the potential for economic development and environmental improvement in the Gaza Strip

Scrap based manufacturing can be an effective economic development tool. The feedstocks for these industries are cheap, locally generated and sustainable, capital costs are low, jobs are plentiful, and the end products are competitive. There are other important environmental spinoffs that result from relying on secondary versus virgin materials: depletion of natural resources including water and energy is curbed, waste disposal and negative externalities are diminished, and litter reduction efforts can be advanced. Such an industrial development strategy bears particular promise in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians are heading down the road of future statehood. Plans are being laid and tremendous capital is being spent to upgrade the industrial infrastructure and establish systems to protect the environment. While the groundwork for industrial, solid waste, and environmental protection infrastructures is laid, the time is ripe for pursuing a path of economic development and environmental sustainability through recycling. Small iron foundries in Gaza are used as a case study to explore the feasibility, economic development consequences, and environmental benefits derived from building scrap based manufacturing enterprises in Gaza. Thesis Supervisor: Karl Seidman Title: Lecturer, Department of Urban Studies and Planning Reader: Dr. Robert Frosch Title: Senior Research Fellow, Harvard Project on Public Policy for Industrial Ecology, Harvard University Reader: Amy Perlmutter Title: Executive Director, Chelsea Center for Materials Reuse