A river of stinking garbage winds its way through large parts of the Lebanese capital Beirut. A plan to export Lebanon's rubbish to Russia was cancelled sending Beirut's six-month garbage crisis back to square one as mountains of trash choke the city's air and streets.
The British firm chosen to export the rubbish to Russia for disposal, Chinook Urban Mining, failed to obtain documents proving Russia had agreed to accept the waste, annulling the deal, government agency the Council for Reconstruction and Development (CDR) said.
The overflowing piles of rubbish are threatening the water supply and people continue to burn garbage, despite a government ban, filling the air with foul smoke that contains dangerous levels of pollutants and carcinogens.
