Social Movement responding to the Lebanese Garbage Crisis

Actors:

You Stink (tul‘it rihetkun): The “You Stink” group was the fulcrum of the protests against the garbage crisis. The movement consisted mainly of young activists with experience in political mobilization and social movements from earlier campaigns. The group also contained members of civil society organizations and environmental and human rights groups. The group’s leadership consisted mainly of educated, young people who came from an urbanized Beirut-background.^[1]

We Want Accountability: (badna nhasib): This group is a left-leaning collective close to the following political parties: The Syrian Socialist Nationalist Party, the Socialist Arab Lebanon Vanguard Party (Hizb al Taliyeh Lubnan Al-‘Arabi Al-Ishtiraki), the People’s Movement (Harakat Al-Sha’ab), and The Democratic Youth Union (Ittihad ash-shahab al-dimuqrati), which is the youth organization of the Lebanese Communist Party.^[2]

The People Want:“The People Want” (ash-sha‘ab yurid) is a left leaning group that incorporates grassroots movements and small political parties, such as the Socialist Forum.

To the Streets: “To the streets” (‘ash-shara‘a) is a smaller group, which gathered activists from the Democratic Left Movement.

Ecomovement: The Ecomovement includes around 60 environmental NGOs across the country and represents the main activists advocating environmental issues.

Legal Agenda: The Legal Agenda is a Beirut-based NGO that addresses issues of legal activism in the Arab world and aims to turn legal activism into an emancipatory tool for disadvantaged groups. They mainly seek to give legal advice for activists.

Besides the larger groups mentioned thus far, the movement also split into many smaller groups. These include the thawrat 22 ab (Revolution Of August 22) or chabab 22 ab (Youth of the 22nd of August) group (consisting of independent leftist activists and well-known Journalists), the Feminist Bloc (notably around the feminist movement sawt an-niswa, “The Voice of the Women”), and tol’it rihetkun, al harakat al tas’hihiyat (You Stink, Corrective Movement).

While the major driving force came from the activists of Beirut, significant mobilization took place in other areas of the country as well: in Akkar (akkar mana mazbaleh, “Akkar is not a Dumpsite”), in the Bekaa (hirak ba’albeck, The Movement of Baalbak) and in the districts of the Metn and the Chouf (Jal el Dib revolution, barja, al- hamleh al-ahliya li ‘iqfal matmar ann-na’meh,“The Community Campaign to close the Naameh landfill”).^[3]

Generally, most people mobilising within the movement were rather young civil society and political activists, who had experience from previous movements (notably from a campaign against the sectarian regime in 2011). Many of them are coming from an urbanized background and from different religious backgrounds.^[4]

The movement gathered many figures from the radical leftist movements, civil movements, socialist and nationalist movements. Later, political groups formed out of the social movement, which contested the autochthonous elites in the municipal elections of May 2016. In Beirut, these groups were represented by Beirut is my City (Beirut Madinati) and Charbel Nahas’ Citizens within a State (Mouwatinoun Wa Mouwatinat fi Dawla). While Beirut is my City focused on Beirut and the improvement of the living conditions within the city, Nahas’ party competed in a number of municipal elections across the country. The party’s main goal is to break the bonds of the traditional elitist leaders and to build a “secular, democratic, just, and potent state”.^[5]

Ideology/Goals:

You Stink: The group’s main goal was to push for an end to the ongoing garbage crisis. The group sees itself as a catalyst for change, raising awareness about corruption and unconstitutional events and mobilizing people to stand up for their rights.^[6] The group does not want to be involved in actual politics, it rather leaves this arena to groups such as Beirut Madinati (Beirut is my City) and the secular party Mouwatinoun Wa Mouwatinat fi Dawla (Citizens within a State), which ran for the municipal elections in Beirut in May 2016.^[7] You Stink had four major demands: 1) an end to the garbage crisis; 2) the resignation of the Minister of Environment Mohamad Machnouk; 3) accountability of the people responsible for the violent responses to the peaceful protests and 4) revitalization of the institutions through a new law.^[8] Thus, from mainly propagating short-term sectoral measurements in order to solve the garbage crisis, “You Stink” gradually started to embrace more political demands. Other more political demands posed by the group were the downfall of the government (especially the resignation of the Ministers of Interior and Environment) as well as new parliament elections. Still, the movement’s priority and demand of finding a sustainable solution to the garbage crisis by giving the responsibility of garbage collection and processing to individual municipalities resonated throughout the waste management conflict, even in current happenings surrounding the crises. Through the fulfillment of this first demand, following demands will unfold, as Imad Bazzi, one the movement’s heads, explained to the Lebanese daily al-Safir.^[9]

We Want Accountability: The group “We Want Accountability” (badna nhasib) had more political demands. This group connected the garbage crisis to the corrupt political elite and was pushing for a change of the political system. The group emerged after the protests of the 22nd of August and demanded firstly that the persons responsible for the violence against the protesters should be held accountable. Other demands posed by this group were: the return of the responsibilities for waste disposal to the municipalities; the settlement/reconciliation/dropping of the charges against arrested protesters; the right to protest and freedom of speech; a new secular electoral law; and the resignation of the Lebanese cabinet.^[10]

The People Want:  The group’s demands were similar to the aforementioned groups. The group demanded the release of the arrested protesters, accountability of security forces for the violence exercised against protesters, the resignation of Nohad Machnouk (Minister of Interior) and Mohammad Machnouk (Minister of Environment), handing waste management to municipalities, the prosecution of corruption and new parliamentary elections.^[11]

To the Streets The group also had similar demands as the ones introduced above namely the resignation of M. Machnouk and N. Machnouk, a solution to the garbage crisis, accountability for the violence against protesters as well as holding the Ministry of Energy accountable for corruption.^[12]

Ecomovement: The main goal of the Ecomovement in the context of the garbage crisis is an environmentally sound disposal of waste, including reducing, reusing, recycling and composting of the waste. Many of the NGOs part of this group offer recycling services to citizens. The demands for these services increased highly with the outbreak of the crisis and most of these NGOs reached their maximum capacity.

Legal Agenda: The Legal Agenda advocates the abidance by laws and regulations effective in Lebanon, which have been severely violated by the political elite in the waste sector in the past years. The aim of this NGO was to provide legal consultation for activists and the different groups involved.

Modes of Action and Strategy:

You Stink: Initially, “You Stink” was a small movement that started to mobilize mainly on social media, where it circulated the hashtag “#tol3etre7etkom” (“you stink”). With this slogan, the group addressed the political elite and their seeming inability and/or refusal to solve the garbage crisis.  The movement had launched its Facebook page on July 25th more or less simultaneously with other sites and small scale movements, as well as declarations pillorying the aggravated garbage crisis, on the one hand, and the political irresponsibility in dealing with it on the other hand. “You Stink” expressed grievances which a large part of the population could identify with, as the crisis and the growing garbage piles were affecting everyone’s daily life. Thus, the movement gained a lot of sympathy among the population, which in this early phase was expressed mainly on social media in Lebanon. This rather spontaneous movement called for the first demonstrations in downtown Beirut on July 28th. The number of people who actually participated in their demonstrations on the ground were still the “usual suspects” of political and social activism in Lebanon, mainly young people who had been active for years in different political and social movements, unions, parties and collectives.

With the advancement of the garbage crisis, the political elite decided on a short-scale solution through disposing of garbage in temporary waste dumps within the country. Pictures of mountains of garbage piling in the areas of Qarantina (east of Beirut) and next to the Monteverde highway went viral on social media, and highlighted the government’s refusal and/or incompetence to deal with the problem. On August 8th, “You Stink” organized a demonstration in Martyr’s square which revealed the large scale participation among the population. On an erected stage, “You Stink” members, together with some environmental activists, preached different discourses on environment, waste separation, political corruption, and national honor, while also demanding for the resignations of the Ministers of Interior and Environment. These demands were accompanied by similar slogans and songs.

After August 8th, “You Stink” managed to organize two follow-up demonstrations: A small protest organized on August 19th witnessed the first form of police violence against the protestors.^[13] This violent reaction from the state, together with other reasons, led to a large scale participation in the demonstration on August 22nd, which was still mainly organized by the “You Stink” movement.  These other reasons include the fact that still no political solution to the garbage crisis was presented, as well as ongoing mobilizations based on basic social and political demands, and yearlong grievances in Lebanon. This large scale and heterogeneous participation of around 10,000 people, among them many families and individuals who had hardly ever visited a demonstration before, and the subsequent violent and rather sudden reaction of the police by throwing teargas, firing bullets in the air towards the crowd and beating protesters, brought “You Stink” to the forefront of a movement that had exceeded its own limits and expectations. After being mainly based on environmental demands and grievances, the movement suddenly encompassed all the political, economic and social grievances piled up in the last decades in Lebanon.

As of July 2016, “You Stink” still had 206,389 likes on Facebook. At the peak of the movement, the group was increasingly expanding by incorporating new individual actors and activists as well as members of civil society organizations within the Lebanese political and social scene. Likewise, the movement was also visible through its increasing publicity activities and on mainstream media channels, where they often served as the main reference for the movement. Notably, small groups of the Lebanese diaspora were also mobilizing under the same slogan.^[14] After the demonstration held on the 31st August, which until now was the biggest demonstration organized by the different movements, “You Stink” conceded major disagreements with the other movements and groups which led to the partition of “You Stink” from the cooperation committee. Likewise, some of the movement’s members openly declared their withdrawal from the movement like the journalist Hassan Al-Zein, also conceding major disagreements and the danger that the movement might wear itself out due to internal disputes.^[15]

We Want Accountability: While the movement was less popular and active on social media than “You Stink”, it relied on “established” forms of mobilization among its existing network. With this, it was able to emerge as an active part of the movement on the street and had its own slogans, songs and demands. Although clearly differing from “You Stink” by its more radical confrontation with the political system, the movement refrained from clear ideological leftist slogans but rather drew on general grievances and long term, grand scheme demands in its communication as the following Facebook post reveals:

“We are on the street because, after more than two decades since the end of the Lebanese war, after ten millions dollars were spent, or more after ten million dollars were robbed, we are still without electricity, and without water, and without infrastructure, and we still die in front of the hospital.”^[16]

Ecomovement: The head of the Ecomovement, Paul Abi Rached, got invited by Akram Chehayeb to discuss the first solution proposed by the garbage crisis committee (the creation of landfills in Akkar in the north and the Bekaa in the east of Lebanon), which he gave his consent to. The environmentalist group gathered on March 5, 2016 with experts (industrialists, professors, lawyers, syndicates, independent experts) to elaborate a roadmap for an environmentally sound solution to the garbage crisis, which was signed by 220 NGOs. However, this roadmap has received little attention by the media and by officials.

Legal Agenda: Lawyers and employees of the NGO Legal Agenda, provided consultation to the groups on the ground regarding legal issues. The NGO created and coordinated a committee of volunteer lawyers who coordinated the defense of the protestors. In addition, the NGO dedicated its monthly issue to the movement as well as its research on the roots of the crisis and possible solutions. Finally, the NGO coordinated a meeting between the different factions of the movement.

The People Want: The group has been less effective in mobilizing people than the groups mentioned above, but has been active on the ground handing out leaflets and holding public debates.

To the Streets: The group “To The Streets” became famous for holding a banner with photos of political figures, which they accused of being corrupt. The banner included Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, which led to controversial reactions.^[17

Effect on public policies

The overall effect on public policies of the social movement of 2015 and 2016 is quite limited. None of the demands posed by civil society were seriously taken into consideration by the government. The government proposed three solutions to solve the garbage crisis. Akram Chehayeb, Minister of Agriculture and head of the established garbage crisis committee proposed the first solution on September 4^th.  This solution consisted of two phases, the first being an interim phase and the second being a long-term, sustainable solution. The interim phase, however, was subject to many new demonstrations, as it foresaw the establishment of two landfill-sites: one in Akkar (North-Lebanon) and one in the Bekaa (east). This solution was not implemented seemingly due to the strong opposition facing it. However, other activists uphold that technical difficulties was the cause behind non-implementation:^[18] The distance between Beirut and Akkar amounts to more than 100 km and the distance between Beirut and Bekaa is around 80 km. The approximately 2,850 tons generated daily in Beirut and its surroundings^[19] would have to be impractically transported daily across the country-by truck, as no railway system exists in Lebanon.

The second solution to end the garbage crisis was announced by the cabinet on December 21st, which planned to export of the waste outside of Lebanon. ^[20] However, this plan also failed due to scandals related to corruption.^[21] Little was the influence of social movements on the failure of this solution, as well.^[22]

Finally, on March 12th, the cabinet approved a solution proposed by the garbage crisis-committee headed by Chehayeb to reopen the Naameh landfill for two months and for setting up new landfills around the capital, in Nahr Ghadir (Costa Brava, south of Beirut) and Bourj Hammoud (north-east Beirut).^[23] As the plan of 1997, this solution would be an interim one, effective only for the upcoming four years. However, the new landfills are still under construction at the moment of writing and the waste is dumped uncontrolled at the distinguished sites.^[24]

This shows that the general effect on public policies in the waste sector were rather limited, as the final outcome of the policy was a return to the situation previous to the outbreak of the crisis and yet another ticking time bomb leading likely to a new garbage crisis in the future was created.

However, the movement was successful in mobilizing thousands of people and political parties (such as Beirut Madinati and Citizens Within a State) that challenged the political elite in the municipal elections of May 2016.

Notable Events:

• 1931: Decree 7975, prohibits disposal of waste close to residential areas; waste shall be disposed of by the responsible department
• 1977: Decree 118, the municipalities have the right and duty to manage their own waste
• 1992: responsibility for the waste disposal is assigned to the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR), as the municipalities are weakened after the civil war.
• 1994: signing of the contracts between the CDR and the company Sukleen
• 1997: first garbage crisis breaks out; the emergency solution is implemented (stays in effect until July 2015)
• 2002: The Ministry of Environment (MoE) elaborates draft law, not ratified by the parliament until today.
• 2006: The MoE elaborates a national plan for the waste management (no implementation)
• 2010: Elaboration of a new strategy, based on the plan of 2006, adds the implementation of incinerators (no implementation, strong protest of environmentalist groups).
• 2014: Residents close to the Naameh landfill protests, get pacified
• January 2015: Residents close to the Naameh landfill protest once again; the closure of the site gets postponed nevertheless.
• July 17^th, 2015: The residents of Naameh protest once more; the landfill site gets closed, no alternative is provided and the garbage crisis breaks out, leads to nationwide protests.
• July 28^th, 2015: You Stink organizes its first demonstration
• August 19^th, 2015: First violent response of the police against the protesters
• August 22^nd and 23^rd, 2015: Largest protests, 10,000 people participate.
• August 2015: a planned bidding process with 6 involved companies gets canceled due to critics and corruption allegations.
• September 2015: The first solution with dumps in Akkar (north) and Bekaa (east) are proposed but opposed by the public.
• December 2015: The second solution with the export of the waste is proposed but not implemented due to corruption allegations.
• March 2016: A new emergency solution gets enacted: the Naameh landfill gets reopened temporarily. The landfills of Costa Brava (south of Beirut) and Bourj Hammoud (east of the capital) get constructed and will receive Beirut and Mount Lebanon’s waste for the coming 4 years.
• May 18^th, 2016: Naameh landfill finally closes for good.

For a more detailed timeline see Lebanon Support, Waste Management Conflict (Starting January 25, 2014), August, 2015, retrieved from https://civilsociety-centre.org/timelines/31033#29

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