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The Lebanese cabinet approved Wednesday a proposal for dealing with the garbage crisis in the country after six hours of an extraordinary meeting as thousands took to the streets and demanded the government step down.
The proposal, made by the country's Agriculture Minister Akram Cheheyab, will allow municipalities to manage their own waste management, one of the major demands of the protesters, and give municipalities more autonomy over their own funds and budgets.
Meanwhile, protesters took to the streets ahead of the meeting as the government sealed Martyr’s square in the capital Beirut to keep the protesters from reaching the country's parliament.
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Make sure you follow @Akhbaralsaha on FB, as they are doing a great coverage of #YouStink demo #طلعت_ريحتكم pic.twitter.com/jdCK0267fm
— Abir Ghattas (@AbirGhattas)
September 9, 201
Some protesters threw eggs at vehicles of politicians heading to talks aimed at breaking the political deadlock. They chanted "thieves, thieves, get out!" outside the parliament building.
RELATED: A Garbage Revolution in Lebanon?
The turmoil started after the July 17 closure of a landfill serving Beirut and its surroundings.
The garbage started piling up in the city and small protests started taking place with the slogan “You Stink,” which quickly became the name of the current anti-government campaign after they failed to address the issue for more than a month. The campaign has also called on the government to resign.
Social media users from Lebanon hailed Wednesday’s decision and said that it was a result of street mobilizations over the past several weeks.
A big win to #Youstink movement and other groups by changing government decisions. A new garbage plan has been adopted #طلعت_ريحتكم
— Mohamad محمد (@monajem)
September 9, 201
The recent unrest in the small Mediterranean country highlights the public's discontent with the political elite in the country as the Parliament is made up of several political factions divided by sectarianism and opposing regional alliances.
Lebanon already pays some of the world's highest per ton waste collection rates, and media said the companies were seeking to raise prices even higher. The country also suffers from the lack of other services like water and electricity.
The country uses a Turkish ship off its coast in order to get 188MW of electricity daily as part of a three-year contract between the Lebanese government and Turkish energy company, Karadeniz Holding. Beirut has a three-hour daily power cut. Beirut’s suburbs and other parts of the country suffer of up to 6 hours of daily power cuts.
RELATED: Lebanon at a Crossroad
