The garbage could make people sick. To get rid of their trash, some residents have resorted to burning it in the streets. This pollutes the air and may cause respiratory illnesses, like allergies and asthma, which affect the lungs and airways. Rotting food also attracts flies, rodents, and mosquitoes that can transmit life-threatening diseases, such as dengue and malaria.
Lebanon’s government recently reopened the original landfill to try to fit in more garbage. Two new dumps will replace it in the next four years—which isn’t soon enough, says Atrache.
“This is just a temporary solution, and it won’t solve the problem,” she says. Those dumps will eventually overflow too. The government has to also implement recycling and composting to end Lebanon’s trash crisis, says Atrache.