Politicians and civil society groups are continuing to raise concerns and protest plans to build incinerators in Lebanon in the government’s effort to tackle the continued waste crisis.

The Lebanese government is moving forward with plans to build incinerators across the country in an attempt to combat the 2 million tons of solid waste produced each year. According to the Green MED Initiative, around 80% of this waste is then dumped into landfills that span acres.

The waste crisis in Lebanon reached its peak in 2015, and, in response, the Beirut municipality put forward plans to build an incinerator. This plan, which also includes building incinerators in Zahle and Tripoli, was ratified in parliament in September 2018.

However, the Waste Management Coalition (WMC), a group of 15 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working to create a more sustainable Lebanon, started the Toxic Flag campaign to warn the public about the health risks involved with incinerators, which saw billboards throughout Beirut telling those looking at it, “If you are reading this, you are in the danger zone.”