Photography and illustrations by Jaimee Lee Haddad/L'Orient Today
In the 10 years since the ‘You Stink’ (tol'it rihetkon) movement was launched, Lebanon’s trash has remained a perennial problem. It’s that one issue that no one seems to be able to solve.
Landfills regularly catch fire. Trash makes its way into the sea. Kids and adults of all ages rummage around in garbage bins looking for plastic and other recyclables to salvage. The stink only grows, symbolic of a state incapable of finding a sustainable strategy. The organizations that do attempt to tackle the problem are stretched to their limit. At the time of publishing, very few recycling plants in Lebanon handle glass.
There are glimmers of hope, as with all things. Citizens, local associations, and some municipalities are trying to come up with solutions, albeit with limited means.
This is why L'Orient Today is outlining what you need to know: the prices of recyclable materials, the latest figures for the trash sector, and a map of the initiatives across the country that are tackling the trash monster.
