Civil society activists and residents carried out a sit-in on Friday before the Tripoli Serail calling upon concerned parties to stop piling up trash transported by trucks from other regions to both Tripoli and Al-Mina. Lebanon has been grappling with a waste crisis following the July 17 closure of the Naameh landfill. The cabinet pledged last year that the said landfill would be shut down and an alternative site would be found, however failed to live up to its promises.
The piles of garbage rotting in the summer heat triggered nationwide outrage and serious health warnings. To get rid of waste, frustrated residents set fire to dumpsters and trash containers, further polluting the hot and humid air. The mess is a stark reminder of the cabinet crisis afflicting Lebanon, where politicians divided by local and regional crises have even failed to agree on where to dump the capital city's rubbish.