The Mediterranean

Lebanon’s Latest Waste Crisis

A Sea of Waste in Beirut

by Gaja Pellegrini-Bettoli

Lebanon’s Khalil Gibran wrote: “In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans.” What is found today in one drop of water in Lebanon may be toxic: a threat to the health of citizens, marine life and the Mediterranean.

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Trucks dump earth and trash into the sea as part of the land reclamation process at the Bourj Hammond landfill in Beirut.
A fisherman in Beirut watches as dumped waste floats past his line.
Lebanon’s Waste Crisis

Lebanon’s Sea Is a Trash Pile

by  Constanze Flamme
Lebanon likes to advertise its Mediterranean lifestyle to lure in tourists, but the reality is that trash dumps around Beirut are leaching toxic chemicals and dumping refuse straight into the sea, killing marine life and contaminating beaches.
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