Lebanon: economy and Covid-19 threaten to revive rubbish crisis – The National

Lebanon: economy and Covid-19 threaten to revive rubbish crisis – The National

Waste collection companies are struggling with payment problems and disgruntled workers

















Rubbish piles up on a street in Beirut, Lebanon, on July 14, 2020 after the waste collection company was hit by coronavirus infections among its workers. EPA







The all-too-familiar stench of rubbish returned to Lebanon's biggest cities in the past week after waste collection companies faced labour strikes or were forced to reduce operations because of the economic crisis and the coronavirus pandemic.



"I think that each month we'll have a rubbish crisis because the government is not providing a solution, they are trying to cover their eyes and ears,“ said Walid Bou Saad, general manager of Ramco, which collects waste in Beirut and neighbouring high-density regions of Keserwan and Metn.



Lebanon has a long-standing waste management problem because of a lack of investment in durable solutions, but the issue has seldom made headlines since a temporary way out was found to a rubbish crisis in 2015 that caused mass protests.



Lebanon's worst economic crisis has brought the matter back to light after a liquidity crunch forced the government to start paying contractors Lebanese pounds instead of US