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In Pictures

Gallery|Environment

Something is rotten in the state of Lebanon

Lebanon’s government finds itself at opposite ends of criticism, as protesters demand solution to garbage crisis.

Beirut garbage/ DO NOT USE/ RESTRICTED
All across Beirut and the nearby area of Mount Lebanon, garbage piled up as trash collection was stopped for over a week. [Karim Mostafa/Al Jazeera]
By Karim Mostafa
Published On 28 Jul 201528 Jul 2015
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Beirut, Lebanon – For over a week, garbage was not collected in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, and its surrounding areas. Bags of rubbish from households and businesses piled up on the streets in the mid-summer heat, overflowing and littering the streets. Lebanon’s main landfill, which was set up as a temporary dumping area and holds many million tonnes of garbage over its capacity, had been blocked by nearby residents since July 28.

Sukleen, the private company managing Beirut’s garbage, has since had nowhere to dispose of the approximately 2,000-3,000 tonnes produced daily in and around the city. The closure of the landfill coincided with the ending of the company’s contract with the government, exacerbating the crisis further.

More than an immediate problem, the piles of garbage serve as an uncomfortable reminder of a larger Lebanese political failure. The country has for many years faced nationwide infrastructure problems, including water shortage and daily electricity cuts.

For over a week, the government was unable to reach a solution. On Sunday and then on Monday, it was announced that collection would be resumed, but not where the garbage would be dumped or what to do in the future.

Activists gathered on Saturday in central Beirut, asking for long-term solutions including a system for recycling and fines for littering. Meanwhile, some residents resorted to burning garbage and blocking some of the main roads in and around Beirut.

Beirut garbage/ DO NOT USE/ RESTRICTED
Citizens gathered in central Beirut on Saturday to protest and demand long-term solutions to not only the immediate garbage crisis, but also the long-standing issue of political mismanagement. [Karim Mostafa/Al Jazeera]
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Protesters on Saturday brought symbolic bags of trash to dispose outside the parliament in central Beirut. [Karim Mostafa/Al Jazeera]
Beirut garbage/ DO NOT USE/ RESTRICTED
The solution must be viable and sustainable, and include recycling and fines on littering, protesters said. [Karim Mostafa/Al Jazeera]
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A woman walks past a pile of trash accumulated during the week in Basta, a neighbourhood in central Beirut. [Karim Mostafa/Al Jazeera]
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A boy runs on Salim Salam, the main road which goes through Beirut, where people resorted to burning trash towards the end of last week and on Monday. [Karim Mostafa/Al Jazeera]
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A police officer on a motorcycle drives through piles of waste on the Salim Salam road. [Karim Mostafa/Al Jazeera]
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A car with wedding decorations drives past a pile of trash set on fire in Beirut. [Karim Mostafa/Al Jazeera]
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Citizens went out with sand and water hoses to try and put out the burning garbage on the road. [Karim Mostafa/Al Jazeera]
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Many neighbourhoods tried to keep the piles of trash from overflowing the streets, and people covered them with cardboard or big plastic sheets. Elsewhere, the accumulated waste spread all over the streets and pavements. [Karim Mostafa/Al Jazeera]
Beirut garbage/ DO NOT USE/ RESTRICTED
Sukleen employees, most of whom are migrant workers from India and Bangladesh,gather near a mountain of accumulated trash in Beirut's Hamra area. [Karim Mostafa/Al Jazeera]
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A man empties a trash can at an overfull collection site in the neighbourhood of Qoreitem, Beirut. [Karim Mostafa/Al Jazeera]
Beirut garbage/ DO NOT USE/ RESTRICTED
Two fire fighters put out a fire in a green trash bin belonging to the private company Sukleen, which has been in charge of waste management in Beirut and Mount Lebanon since 1994. Coinciding with the closure of the main landfill, Sukleen's contract with the government ended, further adding to the crisis. [Karim Mostafa/Al Jazeera]
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Cars and motorbikes try to drive through a street full of piles of garbage and overfull waste bins. [Karim Mostafa/Al Jazeera]
Beirut garbage/ DO NOT USE/ RESTRICTED
Late on Monday evening, garbage collection started to resume at some locations in Beirut. But no long-term solution has been announced, and politicians are yet to announce where the garbage will be dumped. [Karim Mostafa/Al Jazeera]


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