The stench is reportedly “toxic.” The issue began in July 2015, but resurfaced last week in the Lebanese capital.
Beirut, Lebanon, on Feb. 23, 2016.
Hasan Shaaban / Reuters
Beirut residents have been embroiled in a garbage overflow problem for months, which you can see from these photos stretching back to July 2015. The issue stemmed from competing government factions who were unable to reach a decision on how to work around the closure of the city's primary landfill site, Naameh.
A defunct collection facility, combined with heavy rainfall in the area, caused massive amounts of uncollected trash to flow into the streets of Beirut, bringing with it a stench so unpalatable that some have called it toxic.
Demonstrations led by activist groups like You Stink ensued, and while a waste management site eventually cleared the streets of its trash last July, the problem does not appear to have been completely solved.
A port in Beirut, Lebanon, on Feb. 19, 2016.
Mohamed Azakir / Reuters
Beirut, Lebanon, on Feb. 23, 2016.
Hasan Shaaban / Reuters