In 2015, Beirut’s only waste disposal company stopped collecting garbage after it had run out of space to dispose it due to insufficient infrastructure. The company had a monopoly due to strong connections to political leaders, profiting from a system of patronage and bribery in the country. The halt of its operations drowned Beirut in waste: streets and beaches were covered in rubbish bags, polluting air and water alike. In 2018, Lebanon adopted its first law addressing issues in waste management, but implementation has been lagging behind, leading to repeated waste crises over the past years.