Waste and garbage fill up streets: Will Lebanon's tourism season be doomed?

Report by Maroun Nassif, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi  

Many Lebanese officials previously promised to solve the waste crisis—either through sorting, landfilling and treatment, incineration, or relocation.

However, it turned out to be false in the end.

Ten years into the crisis, Lebanon remains threatened by a new waste crisis, which is expected to escalate in the summer of 2025.

Garbage has begun accumulating in the streets of Beirut and Mount Lebanon because Ramco and City Blu companies have reduced their operational capacity to about 70%.

The reason behind this shortage is that Ramco requires $18 million from the Lebanese state, and City Blu needs $19 million in overdue amounts, which have accumulated since November 2024.

Finance Minister Yassine Jaber signed the draft decrees last Thursday for paying Ramco and City Blu's dues. Still, the companies' problem is that the payment mechanism could take up to two months while they desperately need liquidity and cash.

In fact, the transaction could be completed in three days if properly followed up, as the Finance Minister confirmed to LBCI, but in the typical Lebanese way, it might not be completed for more than a month.

Why is that?

After the Interior Minister and Finance Minister sign the draft decree, it is submitted to the Prime Minister's office for signature, then to the Presidency, until the decree is issued and published in the Official Gazette. 

Afterward, the Finance Ministry is notified, and payment procedures begin. Upon completion of the transaction, the Banque du Liban (BDL) transfers the funds to the companies.

This complex mechanism requires speed, as people's health will be at stake, and Lebanon's tourism season will be doomed.