Garbage dumpster fire11/22/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() Though international organisations and foreign governments have funded waste management projects in remote areas, the initiatives were ultimately administered by Lebanese government agencies, where again a lack of transparency and accountability stymied results. That is apparent in Lebanon’s poorly funded municipalities, where unsorted waste is routinely sent to some 900 open-air dumps to be burned, creating a public health hazard. The two contracts totalled a hefty $430m.īeyond corruption, the current system also fails to address roughly half of the waste the country produces. In a statement, the US Treasury said a company owned by one of the blacklisted men, Jihad al-Arab, had reportedly added water to rubbish containers so they could bill the state more, while a firm owned by the other sanctioned man, Dany Khoury, had won a contract to operate a landfill, only to be accused of dumping toxic waste and refuse into the Mediterranean Sea. Garbage is piling up on the streets of Lebanon’s capital Beirut Last month, those claims were thrust into the spotlight after the United States sanctioned two Lebanese businessmen who had waste management contracts, claiming they profited from “pervasive corruption and cronyism”. Critics have blasted this system for being expensive, opaque and poorly regulated. The government awards contracts for waste collection, street cleaning and landfill management in and around Beirut to firms that are typically affiliated with political elites. Centralised and problematicįor decades, Lebanon’s waste management system has been highly centralised. The last time that happened, back in the summer of 2015, some 20,000 tonnes of rubbish flooded the streets of Beirut, sparking protests. “Because of the economic crisis and COVID-19, the production of garbage dropped by 30 to 40 percent,” he said, noting that if current waste production was on par with pre-crisis levels, the country’s two coastal landfills would likely have already reached capacity. He added that the only reason garbage has not escalated into a full-blown crisis is that most Lebanese simply cannot afford to produce as much waste as they used to. Two key sorting plants destroyed in the devastating Beirut port explosion last year have yet to be repaired.Įnvironment Minister Nasser Yassin told Al Jazeera that he is trying to get the government to prioritise the waste problem, but it has not met in more than a month because of political squabbling. The cash-strapped government is short on funds to pay the waste management company contracted to collect half the country’s garbage. ![]() There is no shortage of woes plaguing the country: widespread poverty, power cuts, fuel and medicine shortages, eye-watering inflation and an entrenched class of political elites who have paralysed government while the rest of the country sinks deeper into crisis.Īnd if that wasn’t bad enough, waste management is emerging as Lebanon’s latest proverbial dumpster fire. Whether you’re looking for a laugh or just want to brighten someone’s day, these GIFs are the perfect way to do it.Beirut, Lebanon – A man parks his scooter near a row of dumpsters, dons a headlamp, and jumps inside a massive waste receptacle, searching for cans and other scraps to sell on.ĭumpster divers in Lebanon have an embarrassment of waste to sift through these days – including on the streets of the capital, Beirut, where rubbish has been piling up. This collection of Dumpster Fire GIFs is sure to please, and it’s perfect for sharing with friends. They’re the perfect way to brighten up someone’s day, and they’re even better when they’re GIFs. Dumpster fires are always funny, no matter how many times you’ve seen them. ![]()
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