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| A general view shows packed garbage bags in Jdeideh, Beirut, Feb. 23 |
BEIRUT — Lebanon is known for its sandy beaches, majestic mountains and lush rivers. But a new kind of scenery is snaking its way through Beirut. A river of garbage in the country’s capital has captured international headlines.
An overflown landfill in the Beirut suburb of Jdeideh is turning into a long stretch of white bags filled with trash.
Lebanon has been facing a garbage crisis for almost eight months, since the contract of its trash collecting company ran out without being renewed. The country’s biggest landfill was also shut down without an alternative.
This environmental disaster is one of many manifestations of Lebanon’s failed political system. The country has been without a president since May of 2014. Patronage and sectarianism run rampant in the country’s institutions.
Since last summer, an organic apolitical movement dubbed “You Stink” has been protesting the corruption and living conditions.
Activist Mario Ramadan was not embarrassed by the fact that the “river of garbage” has captured the world’s attention; he was happy. He said the story could be a reality check for the Lebanese masses.
“The mirror does not always show beauty,” he told The Arab American News. “But it always shows the truth. Maybe this shows the Lebanese what people truly perceive them to be. They always think that the world can’t do without them, that they’re the Paris and Switzerland of the Middle East. It’s a good slap in the face for them to wake up and realize that they’re full of s**t.”
He criticized the Lebanese attitudes towards the crisis.
“People start screaming when garbage is below their houses and shut up when it’s moved 20 meters away,” Ramadan said. “It’s surreal.”
The “trash river” in Jdeideh started as a makeshift dump, but it became overflown like a river after heavy rain.
The smell and eyesore are not the only concerns. Residents are worried about health effects and the spread of diseases as the hot summer months approach.
The Lebanese government tried to fix the problem by exporting the garbage to landfills in Russia. That solution came to halt last week after the British firm tasked with transporting the garbage failed to submit the proper paperwork showing that Russia would accept the trash.
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