Lawyers struggle to pursue legal action over trash burning in Lebanon
Even though trash burning is illegal in Lebanon, judges have failed to hold municipal heads accountable for allowing the burning of waste.
Over the past year and a half, piles of trash have episodically accumulated in Lebanon's streets due to cycles of waste mismanagement since the beginning of the country’s garbage crisis. To dispose of the encroaching waste, residents and municipalities have allegedly resorted to illegal trash-burning that puts the population at risk of severe health complications. Several lawsuits, filed by independent attorneys, have been taken up by Lebanon’s legal system, which rarely accepts cases on behalf of civilians. However, optimism is dwindling as cases drag on with little judicial action.
Starting in June 2015, the densely populated governorates of Beirut and Mount Lebanon were gripped by a garbage crisis when the Naameh landfill was closed without an alternative dump site, sparking widespread protests.
Although the protests have long since dispersed, their call for action and accountability has been taken up by lawyers such as Nadine Moussa. In October 2015, she filed a complaint to the general prosecutor, the highest criminal judge in Lebanon, petitioning him to investigate criminal cases of trash burning. The file was then directed to the prosecutor of Mount Lebanon, who instructed local police forces to identify the arsonists.
Lebanese law dictates that municipalities are responsible for regulating waste disposal in their areas and are accountable for trash burning within their jurisdiction. Municipal officials, however, are immune from prosecution without approval from the interior minister.
