A 12-meter long art installation representing a flag made of black smoke was placed in Beirut yesterday next to the site of the planned waste incinerator. The flag that was raised symbolizes the black landscape that will surround Beirut area and its surrounding if we do not move quickly to stop the adoption of incinerators as a solution for waste management in light of the poor management of public facilities in Lebanon. Needless to say, the smoke used this time is a non-toxic one, as opposed to the smoke that can be emitted from incinerator stacks, which may contain acid gases, heavy metals, poisonous gases and that can cause congenital malformations and cancer to name a few.
Amid all the bad decisions that this government has taken, adopting incinerators in the absence of an integrated system for waste management and in light of the composition of waste which is mainly organic and cannot be burnt, is the worst decision that the Lebanese government may take to address the waste crisis. The gases emitted from the incinerator will increase air pollution, will directly affect the health of the Lebanese, and will decrease the economic value of their properties. The construction of an incinerator in Beirut will encourage the installation of large and small incinerators throughout Lebanon. There are dozens of incinerator projects that are planned for the near future.
Planned incinerators in Lebanon are not a proper solution to the waste crisis, visit StopTheIncinerators.me and sign today the petition in support of a healthy and safe future for Lebanon.
