Amid the financial and economic collapse, waste management companies are unable to secure salaries and raise pay to keep the streets of Lebanon garbage-free.
With the lift of subsidies on fuel, companies are finding it impossible to continue in business.
A spokesperson from Ramco, a waste management company in Lebanon, stated: “Despite our constant appeals for assistance to find solutions to matters that directly affect our operational capacity, we have not received any interest or intention to help.”
The garbage crisis has a history in Lebanon prior to the financial crisis but with the current economic collapse, it is going through its worst phase.
No radical solutions were reported in recent weeks as the Council of Ministers failed to arrange a meeting to take a decision in raising the wages of the concerned companies.
The council of Development and Reconstruction could not hold meetings due to the objection of one of the members to attend the sessions.
This might mean that a waste crisis is waiting ahead and things may escalate in the coming days as the companies stop their work once and for all as they have incurred great burdens during the current crisis.
Beirut Mayor Jamal Itani announced in a statement: “The matter requires an exceptional decision by the Council of Ministers that preserves the right of the state and at the same time enables the contractors to complete the work.”
Itani added: “I hope to reach a solution soon, but the issue is difficult.”
The production of garbage in Lebanon has dropped by 30 to 40 percent due to the economic crisis and Covid-19 but garbage is still pilling up on the streets of Lebanon as companies are unable to properly function.
