Lebanese activists to stage protests against garbage exploitation plan

Lebanese activists on Friday erected tents outside the Lebanese Cabinet's headquarters in Beirut ahead of planned protests on Saturday against a plan to export garbage.

The activists oppose planned price and tax hikes to finance the deal of the exportation of the garbage.

In a statement, they called on the government to assume its responsibilities of removing the garbage.

Lebanon has witnessed a chronic environmental crisis since mid-July, after the government permanently closed the notorious Naameh landfill, located southeast of Beirut, with no plan on what to do with the garbage.

The closure immediately resulted in the pileup of trash across Beirut and Mount Lebanon. The pile has since been located in temporary dumps such as parking lots, on the sides of roads, along coastal areas or even in valleys.

The crisis led to the eruption of mass protests in summer organized by activist groups, which demanded the government find a solution as well as solve other problems.

Source: MENA