A man casts his fishing pole in the Mediterranean Sea as trash are seen on a rocky coastal area along the Beirut coastline, Lebanon.
Image Credit: AP
Beirut - Plastic bottles, soft drink cans and blue garbage bags. An old television, discarded vegetables and coffee cups. These are some of the random things that can be seen floating in the sea along Lebanon’s coastline.
Once a source of pride, the country’s Mediterranean coastline has become a source of shame for many Lebanese because of the swirling trash that pollutes its shores.
Fisherman Ahmad Obeitri has been a fixture at Lebanon’s corniche - a popular seaside promenade in central Beirut - for the past 30 years. He says the trash is killing off what’s left of marine life.
“These days if a fish comes our way it will only find nylon bags, garbage and sewage to feed on,” he said, lamenting over people who eat and drink as they walk on the corniche and then toss their cans, tins and other containers in the sea.
“You can open a cafe under water and invite your friends,” he added sarcastically.
Trash floats next to rocky coastal area in the Mediterranean Sea on the Beirut coastline, Lebanon.
Image Credit: AP
Littering is not Lebanon’s only problem. The country has a long-running solid waste management problem that caused summer riots in 2015 as trash piled in the streets. The government solved the problem by simply shifting the trash to landfills and coastal dumps that often run into the Mediterranean.
Environmentalists say thousands of tons of trash and untreated waste is getting dumped directly into the sea.
Abdullah Absi, a 56-year-old civil engineer, said as a swimmer, the open sewage running into the sea was his biggest problem.
A group of 50 swimmers, including Absi, recently organized a 4.6-kilometer (2.9-mile) swim to highlight the problem and the idea that the sea is for all.
“We see the violations are increasing and there is no deterrent,” he said.
In this Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018 photo, a TV screen floats next to rocky coastal area in the Mediterranean Sea on the Beirut coastline, Lebanon. Once a source of pride, the country’s Mediterranean coastline has become a source of shame for many Lebanese because of the swirling trash that pollutes its shores. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Image Credit: AP
In this Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016 photo, fish swim in the Mediterranean Sea as a rat enters a sewage pipe next to rocky coastal area along the Beirut coastline, Lebanon. Once a source of pride, the country’s Mediterranean coastline has become a source of shame for many Lebanese because of the swirling trash that pollutes its shores. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Image Credit: AP
In this Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018 photo, a man casts his fishing pole in the Mediterranean Sea as pieces of plastic bottles collected by activists hang on a wall, next to the rocky coastal area in the Mediterranean Sea on the Beirut coastline, Lebanon. Once a source of pride, the country’s Mediterranean coastline has become a source of shame for many Lebanese because of the swirling trash that pollutes its shores. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Image Credit: AP
COMBO- This combination of nine photographs taken on Friday, Nov. 16, 2018 photo shows items of trash thrown on the rocky coastal area of the the Mediterranean Sea on the Beirut coastline, Lebanon. Once a source of pride, the country’s Mediterranean coastline has become a source of shame for many Lebanese because of the swirling trash that pollutes its shores. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Image Credit: AP
In this Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018 photo, people fish next to a sewage overflow pipe emptying into the Mediterranean Sea along the Beirut coastline, Lebanon. Once a source of pride, the country’s Mediterranean coastline has become a source of shame for many Lebanese because of the swirling trash that pollutes its shores. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Image Credit: AP
In this Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018, photo, plastic bags float as swimmers prepare to emulate sea creatures in an effort to send a message that pollutants such as bottles and plastic bags will entangle marine animals, next to the rocky coastal area in the Mediterranean Sea on the Beirut coastline, Lebanon. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Image Credit: AP
COMBO- This combination of nine photographs taken on Friday, Nov. 16, 2018 photo shows items of trash thrown on the rocky coastal area of the the Mediterranean Sea on the Beirut coastline, Lebanon. Once a source of pride, the country’s Mediterranean coastline has become a source of shame for many Lebanese because of the swirling trash that pollutes its shores. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Image Credit: AP
In this Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016 photo, workers remove wood and trash from the Mediterranean Sea along the Beirut coastline, Lebanon. Once a source of pride, the country’s Mediterranean coastline has become a source of shame for many Lebanese because of the swirling trash that pollutes its shores.(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Image Credit: AP
In this Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016, photo, fish swim over to trash and bottles next to the rocky coastal area in the Mediterranean Sea on the Beirut coastline, Lebanon. Once a source of pride, the country’s Mediterranean coastline has become a source of shame for many Lebanese because of the swirling trash that pollutes its shores.(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Image Credit: AP
In this Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016 photo, trash floats next to rocky coastal area in the Mediterranean Sea on the Beirut coastline, Lebanon. Once a source of pride, the country’s Mediterranean coastline has become a source of shame for many Lebanese because of the swirling trash that pollutes its shores. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Image Credit: AP
This Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018 photo shot with a slow shutter speed shows plastic bottles floating next to a rocky coastal area in the Mediterranean Sea on the Beirut coastline, Lebanon. Once a source of pride, the country’s Mediterranean coastline has become a source of shame for many Lebanese because of the swirling trash that pollutes its shores. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Image Credit: AP
In this Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018, photo, people fish next to a sewage overflow pipe emptying into the Mediterranean Sea along the Beirut coastline, Lebanon. Environmentalists say thousands of tons of trash and untreated waste is getting dumped directly into the sea. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Image Credit: AP
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