Refuse Refuse

The title "refuse refuse", one verb and one noun, meaning "reject rubbish",
is the slogan we have chosen to represent Temehu.com's online campaign to Keep Libya Clean.

Reduce Reuse Recycle Refuse

Traditionally, most Libyan women keep their houses spotlessly clean and tidy as a matter of daily routine of hard, and mostly unrecognised, work. But some Libyan men (if not many) seem to care less and less about their country, regardless of what they say. Libya until recently was clean and as isolated from the outside world as Acacus still is shrouded with mystery today. But today, the side effects of any influx of wealth and progressive economical growth would naturally include litter, neglect, plastic and fatigue. Those consumers who are eager to digest and hurriedly disregard neat order for litter & clutter, beware: rubbish, refuse, garbage, litter and waste are piling up everywhere in Libya, even in the most sacred archaeological sites. One of the commonest feedbacks we get from some tourists is that it has become impossible to find a clean spot to camp along the coast in Libya.

We kindly urge both Libyans and visitors to reconsider and help keep Libya clean.

Far from being limited to Libya, litter appears to be globally symptomatic of modern industrial life as a whole. Waste is the product of creation; a carpenter's workshop would fill up with wood cuttings and sawdust if no system of keeping the workshop tidy was in place. Similarly our homes will fill up with rubbish if no cleaning takes place. So what is different about the "Big Home"? Our DNA too lacks this system as it mutates and thus our genome is more than 90% junk DNA. Good excuse for some who always prefer to blame others for their reckless actions! (Ref.: "Message in a genome?", New Scientist, 12 August 1995, p 30; http://www.newscientist.com) .

Temehu.com will attempt to graphically project the scale of this catastrophe to the attention of all: some Libyans, some authorities, and some foreign visitors alike; hoping to engage them to reflect and positively react to the actions some of them occasionally enact.

A human being enters an archaeological site to marvel at its wonderful beauty and immensely enjoy the magical satisfaction gained from being so close to such a distant past, is fine, and wonderful experience Libya is more than proud to provide. But why, dear friends, Libyans and foreigners alike, curse the sacred ground with plastic and glass?

I am an important human being who hasn't got a clue as to what to do with the plastic that was sold to me using my plastic card!
Please, what should I do with my plastic bottle(s)?

They are "rubbish", not worth a penny, so why should one bother? One is often was brought-up to care only about "valuable possessions", and even secure and ensure them, in a society where no one cares about rubbish that is tossed away against the wind?

Let us face it, there is no excuse for that sort of behaviour, no matter what; but some places do have little litter bins for some people to toss their "trivial" rubbish in, not to say anything of those who miss the bin and never bother to stop, go back, and try again - that would be embarrassing; wouldn't it?

But those (lovely or ugly) plastic rubbish bins installed by councils are not found everywhere, nor where the Libyan people and some visitors most likely would need them most. And if you do find one rubbish bin, it is more likely to be full, to the brim, and overflowing to the ground, rather than spotlessly empty.

And if you do do find one that is overflowing, and covering its surroundings with rubbish and bottles to the ground, then what?
I am walking along the high street in London, in Tripoli (or even in Mesrata, now, with all the empty cases along the floor), or Kuala Lumpur, what shall I do with my damn cigarette-end?

Flick it on the pavement, as everyone else does around the globe?
Or worse flick it out of the car window, only to land on the face of some pedestrian who cannot afford to have a vehicle. Most drivers, of course, have an ashtray in the [(expensive)] car and they do use it, sometimes. But still we see those who love to toss the ends out of the window. Those on the road, of course, the hungry population, can cary their ashtrays with them, in their pockets, or do whatever they like; who cares?

They say smoking in public places is against the law, now, in several countries, at last, and apparently, including Libya and England. Okay, let us understand this: streets are public places, aren't they? Yes they are. You name one place in the whole world that is more public than a street! Let us face it. Logic tells us that streets and roads are more public than pubs and clubs because everyone uses them to do their shopping and walking, whereas only a small minority visit pubs (short for 'public houses'!), maybe to "get sloshed". Yet again, we are also taught that "things are not always what they seem", regardless of what that means!
Very confusing indeed when words no longer mean what they meant to mean!

Or maybe we can entice, or chase, the local council to purchase more cheap plastic bins from Hong Kong and have them blanket-cover the pavement in juxtaposition, waiting for junk to arrive only to be picked up and disposed of, somewhere else, of course - in somebody else's land?

Or why cannot we just throw it away?
It is rubbish after all we are talking about, isn't it?
Yes. It is. Pure rubbish.

Okay.

Why do water bottles have those lines and grooves running across their bellies? (Have a look at the photo.) Well, these are designed for squashing the bottle, all the way down, just like this: remove the top, place your hand under the bottle, then squash the bottle all the way down and immediately secure the top (the lid) back in position.

The Problem is Some People Not Management!

This is a real photo of a PARTICULAR group of European tourists in the Libyan Sahara, leaving their rubbish behind after camping overnight. We have covered the plate numbers and other identifiers bright green in order to keep the identity of the "perpetrators" private and safe with us.

This particular Western European group of tourists (not to be confused with all European tourists) were habitually leaving their rubbish behind, wherever they camp. Not a bottle or two, but bags of it too.

When one of our Libyan tour guides kindly pointed out to them that they needed to carry the bags with them to the nearest rubbish dump, say the nearest village or town where one can find a rubbish bin, they took no notice of him. Why should they!

Of course, most tourists would not dare do that. The above evidence refers to this particular group. We have evidence for other tourists (Europeans, Asians, etc.) for  taking part in similar practices. And we have more evidence for many more Libyans doing the same, as we have illustrated in this article. And we have evidence for so many people doing this all over the world (please watch the BBC video at the end of this page).

When the guide noticed this Particular European group do this on a regular basis and blatantly refused to dispose of their refuse each time he asked them to, he waited one day until they all got in their cars and drove away and took his camera to produce the above live shot; capturing the perpetrators in action running away from the crime-scene, leaving the evidence behind: (two green bags, one blue bag, one white bag, one black bag, yellow plastic, and a solitary can). This is a fantastic photo because it captures the moment we decided to share with you!

We are not running a name and shame campaign.
We hope those particular tourists find this page as it might be of comfort to them
to know that their guide had secretly took all that rubbish and disposed of it at the nearest allocated spot.

If the above story rings the bell, then I wouldn't mind pulling another one from the bag. I am rich in rubbish tales!

To reflect, you (regardless of your colour or nationality) would need to imagine yourself sitting on one of those lovely white plastic chairs and contemplating on the black graphic on the green plastic bin and ask yourself if the council needs to install a line of these bins instead of one or whether it needs to collect a few times a day instead of once!

Who do you think ought to answer this question? Can we all Libyans, including the council, sit around the empty table and discuss this disgusting scene!

Many people (regardless of colour or nationality) were accustomed to having things done for them. When they were babies their mothers run behind them picking up all the loose pieces and putting all the toys back where they should be. When they grow up, they continue to depend on "road sweepers" and "dustmen" to pick up all the junk they drop behind. Councils pay companies, and companies pay road sweepers (most often immigrants) to do the job instead. When the population frighteningly grew in size, they invented machines to sweep the roads, but they still had the sweating sweepers erratically running behind the machine, zigzagging their brooms ahead of them in attempt not to miss any loose dog-ends and to avoid tripping any passers by, walking on the pavement of course; sweeping rubbish towards the gutter for the noisy machine to suck. The first walker behind the clean team immediately initiates the same dialy cycle all over again.

Basically, the council pays legal immigrants to clean the streets and pavements to take our rubbish away, I mean the rubbish of some of us, while we consumers pay the council (in council tax) to take our rubbish away as well as pay businesses a lot of money to sell us more and more plastic bags, wrappings and all sorts of junk packaging and boxes. There are even companies that break the rules and dump their waste, including toxic chemicals and hazardous wastes, wherever they like, at night of course. Some of the giant players and global corporations used Africa as a dumping ground, simply because they paid their way out of fines. So, in short, one can think of waste as a natural by-product of money and unstoppable success. And since money is more important than rubbish, then no one really cares about rubbish. No one cares to pick up their rubbish anymore; but if you pay them money to clean it up, then they will be more than happy to do their job.

This stuff sounds very interesting; let us get this right: are you saying some of you as well throw their rubbish behind them in Europe as Libyans do over here in Africa?

Of course we do - we all are human beings, aren't we?
Go to London and see for yourself. "We are all in it together", said one Londoner.

I bet you wont find a pavement in the capital that is not decorated with "dog-feces", littered with "dog-ends" (especially so after the new smoking ban), shiny crisps packets, receipts, newspaper clips, tins, pepsi bottles, ice cream sticks, cigarette packets, teacup lids, and even disposable tea cups and choking toxic smoke filling the air -- the closer you are to the pavement, like a child in a pushchair, the more concentrated the fumes. The councils are doing their best -- the Keep Britain Tidy campaign, converters, congestion charges, and the billions spent to continuously keep the streets of the capital spotless; but big change can only take place when the people, themselves, give a helping hand and take part in the campaign. Even after the British government introduced a fine of £1000 for dog-owners who leave their pets' waste behind, many dog-owners still walk with pride along the streets without any respect for the law (or for their neighbours). In Libya too there is a fine of one hundred Libyan dinars (LY100) for throwing rubbish randomly, but Libyan people still do what they and others normally do - be a human being!

Is this a rubbish tip or the tip of the iceberg?

Rest to Rust.

This story is different because at least in this one, one can contentedly argue that the cans have decided to disappear by themselves, without any human help, as they slowly vanish according to the cosmic law: from dust to dust. The ground itself is heavily stained with rust.

Mother nature always takes care of her little follies and she is always full of mercy for her foolish offspring (regardless of nationality or colour) tampering with her most sacred secrets. If no one cares anymore to sweep their rubbish off the floors, then nature's wind as always will be there to bury it away. But although nature can handle most types of waste, like paper, tins, cans, wood, biological matter and metal, other types are not biodegradable and even harmful to the eco system of the planet as a whole.

Plastic, for example, would prove more tricky than tins to resist all attempts of voluntary disappearance, at least for a very long time to come. In fact plastic is now an important element of our beloved, expensive diet, as it had shredded itself into our water system, and even fish take it. Big fish eat little fish, and many of us, but not all, eat fish rich in plastic and mercury - without knowing, of course. Scientists recommend we eat very little fish, no more than twice a week, if we to keep a safe level of toxins in our system.

So, there we have plenty of food for thought.

Many museums in Libya still lack surveillance cameras, and most archaeological sites still unfenced, unguarded, and grazed by sheep,
with no sign of green grass but plastic bottles and bags.

Libyan Albayan

A scan of the front cover of Albayan magazine.

The Libyan magazine Albayan (issue: Hannibal 1376 [2008]) is a seasonal, cultural and analytical periodical published by the peoples committee of the Five Points Municipality (Sha'biyyet Anniqat Alkhams) in Zuwarah. In an article titled "In Plastic Farms" the author warns the Libyan people (not tourists) of the dangers of plastic and urges them to pay attention to their actions and help towards keeping Libya clean and safe for our children.

The article particularly focuses on the dangers of plastic as a substance that does not go away even when is shredded into dust and dissolved into the soil. Its microscopic particles remain in the soil and water for up to a century. When taken by plants from the soil and water, and then animals feed on these plants and on the plastic itself, the cancerous particles are transferred to humans via animal produce like milk and cheese.

 

In Plastic Farms

The article goes on to warn the Libyan people about the excess use of plastic and asks them to use less of it whenever they can. For example, bakers use plastic carrier bags to sell hot bread to the public, when most people know that heat and plastic do not mix. [Take your traditional basket to the baker with you - be a traditional Libyan and forget about this modern stuff.]

To reduce the consumption of unnecessary plastic, the article recommends:

• Take immediate action right now.
• Recycle plastic whenever you can.
• Do not use plastic bags to package meat and other animal produce.
• Use paper whenever you can.
• Avoid buying plastic toys for your children.
• Do not buy plastic plates, cups and forks to use for food.
• Do not use disposable plastic plates and cups.
• Use straw baskets to buy and store food, as your ancestors did.
• Boycott plastic products whenever you can.
• Let others know about this problem and help spread the word.

Medical Waste

The following image shows the home page of www.libyanmedicalwaste.com.
Please visit the site for info on how to dispose your medical waste appropriately.

Take a closer look and you will see a Libyan driving his tractor to empty his load of Libyan rubbish in broad day light.

Why for heaven's sake do that?

I suppose most people (regardless of nationality or colour), as ever so busy chasing the precious 'loaf of life', are becoming lazier by the day and care less and less about anything else but being a useful 'bread winner' for the family. Populations around the globe are fast multiplying, while the existing constant space increases in price by the day. Like a helpless sheep stuck between the jaws of a lion, a general feeling of despair blankets the ground like a succubus. These and other factors should not be ignored when attempting to understand the phenomenon of why many, mostly poor, people tend to care less and less about their health and environment? Equilibrium in a society requires equality at all levels and sharing resources to tackle resulting social problems.

The effects of the wind, plenty of it in Libya, can spread plastic bags across massive areas, and in many places one is accustomed to seeing plastic bags stuck in tree branches and power lines.

Libya needs a massive campaign to effectively remove plastic bottles from its vast landscape. It does not look that awful, thanks to the flowers, but it is a shame that these bottles are practically everywhere you go.

There are some Libyans who do care about the problem. The above sign is saying to other Libyans who do not care:

"the road is a public right for all and so make sure you keep it clean."

While this one says:

"random rubbish dumping shows lack of awareness of its bad effects."

That is the person who is throwing rubbish at random (regardless of his or her colour or nationality) does not know about the damage caused to human health and to the planet as a result. He is probably not aware that s/he drinks plastic everyday as a consequence. I mean look at the sign itself; it rises a number of questions.

Cheers

Did you ever notice that some people (regardless of colour or nationality) always try to find a hidden corner, a hole or anything to hide their rubbish in. Imagine you are walking with a group of human beings (tourists and Libyans alike) and you just finished sipping your last drops from the water plastic bottle. You slow down to the rear of the group and slot that empty bottle in the nearest niche and carry on as normal. You, as unidentified human being who could be from any country in the world, would not put the bottle on the ground in front of everyone and kick it really high in the sky, shouting: "let us kick some bottle football", would you? That would be embarrassing, if not insane.

So why do many people feel the need to hide their habit of throwing rubbish? I mean scared, maybe, because in many countries the police will arrest them and the courts will order them to pay fines, and that is why humans also hide all other law-breaking habits. However, I see this as good news, because if rubbish-throwers (regardless of their nationality) feel guilty about their unsocial behaviour(s), then it is not to late to help them.

Why Wait To Take Responsible Action?

Divine help is looming in the horizon; and the angry Sun is about to leash.

If you are a Libyan reading this page now. I mean if you are a good Libyan, because there are not many Libyans who devote some of their precious time to reading about "rubbish". Yet there are so many Libyans who do rubbish, or shall we say who make rubbish!

Can you care to help?
Are you not bothered?
Can you mention it to your local council for discussion?
Or do you have influence to speed up change?
If yes, then your country needs you, right now.

She needs the attention of everyone to change their relaxed attitude towards health and hazard matters, and their intentions too. It matters more if people are mature enough to take responsible action by themselves and make things happen, and make less of it happen too, and widely embrace the importance of this embarrassing change. All of us need to work together to keep libya clean and tidy.

Are Some People Right To Blame Bad Management?

We have received a number of feedbacks stating that the issue is an issue of "bad management" and that the government needs to do something about this. We think people are mistaken to think that way.

Some people (regardless of colour or nationality) naturally would tend to blame others for their faults!
How can you blame the management for the actions of individuals. Someone throws an empty plastic bottle in an archaeological site, on the pavement, on the beach, or even in the desert. And then someone else does the same. As more people (regardless of nationality or colour) throw rubbish randomly, you will begin to notice rubbish piling up everywhere, as it is doing now - all over the world. Then all you have to do is put your hands in your pockets and say: bad management?

The management is doing fine and all it can to keep the country clean of the rubbish produced by people (see photo below). But it cannot eradicate the problem if  these people do not stop throwing their rubbish everywhere.

In fact, one can ask: why should the government create a waste management department in the first place?
The answer is that because people throw rubbish everywhere they go!

Rubbish does not fall from the sky by itself; does it?

Imagine what the government would spend that money on if people do not throw their rubbish everywhere? Build new homes, new schools and new hospitals, increase the ridiculous minimum wage, improve services, donate cash to poor countries, and so on (to infinity!!). No, they are instead forced to spend billions of pounds just to collect, recycle and incinerate human-produced rubbish. Worse still, many of these human-rubbish producers blame bad management for their fantastic actions. This is rubbish; pure rubbish.

Reduce-Reuse-Recycle

The Good News:

The Government's Campaign to Keep Libya Clean is Active and Well. Give them your support and helping hand!

This photo shows that the campaign to clean Libyan roads and streets is still active. Workers continue to work along all the major roads, collecting rubbish in bags and leaving them behind for the rubbish lorry to pick. Of course, people and visitors still need to help by changing their habits in order to keep Libya clean and stop their unacceptable behaviours. Simply, you cannot have people collecting your rubbish forever. It has to stop.

You can spread the word by word of mouth, or you can use your mouse.

Tell your friends, and help towards making people more aware of the disaster.
Some people would stop throwing rubbish at random as soon as they realise it is a problem.

Many people still think it is normal and expected from them.

Let them know its cleaning time.

Do you want to say something?

Happy New Year. 2012.

Image from: http://www.facebook.com/CleaningUpTripoli

The bin is saying:
"don't be afraid; I do not bite!"

2012

Cleaning up Tripoli:

Cleaning Up Tripoli is a non-governmental "movement" founded to campaign for cleaning Tripoli; the sister of "Cleaning Revolution", which campaigns for the cleaning of Libya. In association with the "Libyan Society for Tourism Activation" (الجمعية الليبية للتنشيط السياحي) and other organisations and volunteers, a number of cleaning projects were undertaken in the capital, including the cleaning of Martyrs Square garden and painting Assaraya Alhamra Museum. Their Facebook page shows hundreds had already volunteered for the campaign to paint the walls and clean the garden of Libya Museum, due to take place on Saturday the 28th of January 2012.

The group introduced themselves in their Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/CleaningUpTripoli ) as follows:

"مجموعة من سكان طرابلس يعملون بطريقة بناءة لمكافحة القضية المؤسفة من انتشار القمامة والأنقاض الغير متخلص منها بطريقة سليمة وعلى نطاق واسع. هدفنا هو تطوير آلية عصرية ومنتظمة من من شأنها أن تساعد على تقليل، بل ونأمل، مكافحة هذه المعضلة المشينة، وإلهام وتثقيف سكان طرابلس للأخذ بزمام المبادرة في تجميل المدينة، فضلا عن تقديم خارطة طريق للحكومة والمنظمات غير الحكومية والشركات لتنسيق جهودها في هذا الصدد، و استخدام الخبرة المكتسبة من تنظيف طرابلس في نهاية المطاف لتنظيف ما تبقى من ليبيا. نحن نرحب ونتطلع الى التعاون مع الحكومة والمنظمات غير الحكومية والمنظمات الخيرية والشركات والمساجد والأفراد. لقد تعهدنا جميعا بالمساعدة في إعادة إعمار ليبيا، لذا فالنبدأ في العملية من داخل شوارع بلدنا الحبيب. يدا بيد، علينا أن نسابق للحاق بل وتجاوز جمال أرقى مدن وأمم العالم. سلام . A group of Tripoli residents working constructively to combat the unfortunate issue of widespread improperly disposed trash and rubble. Our objective is to develop a modern, easy and systematic mechanism that would help restrict and hopefully prevent the repulsive dilemma and inspire and educate Tripoli's residents to take pride in and beautify the city as well as provide a road map for the government, NGO's, and companies to coordinate their efforts in this regard and eventually use the experience gained in Tripoli to clean the rest of Libya as well. We welcome and look forward to collaborations with the government, NGOs, charity organizations, companies, mosques, and individuals. We have all vowed to help with the rebuilding of Libya, so let us initiate the process from within our beloved streets. Hand in hand, we shall race to catch up and exceed the beauty of world class cities and nations. Peace, The Team cleanuptripoli@hotmail.com twitter: @cleanuptripoli Email cleaningrevolution@hotmail.com."

Please give Cleaning Revolution a helping hand; like their page; tell your friends; and please do take part yourself in preventing rather than dealing with pollution.

17 July 2009:
"I am deeply shocked to hear that civilised tourists do such an awful thing. Thank you for the lovely photos. Amina."

Temehu's reply: "us too!"

17 July 2009:
"Thank you for a very insightful post. This is an extremely important issue in Libya. However there is a lack of waste 'management' by the state. Even when people are careful about their rubbish and put it in the right places, it doesn't get collected. Umm Salwan."

Temehu's reply: "agree with and can see your point regarding "full and over-flowing bins" (like the green one above); but what about those who throw rubbish practically everywhere, even in the heart of the desert? The only waste management there is one's sense!"

5 August 2009:

"This is a problem of management and administration. Basheer."

Temehu's reply: disagree with you. Totally disagree. We think the problem is "bad people"; people, including tourists, seem to care less about the landscape they desecrate every day. Ask yourself the simple question: what would happen if people STOP throwing rubbish at random? The answer is: clean streets. What would happen if smokers STOP throwing their cigarette-ends everywhere?

 

24 August 2009:

"Thank you for this page Temehu. Rubbish is a huge problem in Libya, and making this website is a step forward. I have a few points to make:1) People's Responsibility: I live in Benghazi and my father and I clean our street every Thursday, sometimes more. We also warn the neighbours to throw their rubbish in the large bins across the street, and not on the street corner! . . . Our street is now one of the cleanest in the area, because of an effort we made. This shows that people can keep the place clean with a bit of effort, but . . . 2) The Authorities' Responsibility: I was very happy to see the second last photo of the men cleaning up the rubbish. I wonder who took this decision, because I know another place where it is needed: I was driving from Tripoli to Misurata (July 2009), and the road side is FILLED with plastic bags. This is a very common tourist route which takes visitors from Tripoli to Leptis Magna. I tried to take nice photos of the landscape but each picture was filled with plastic bags. I felt embarassed to show it to friends back here in Ireland where I live. I know an Irish group who visited Libya, and they were horrified at the state of this road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . At the moment nobody cares about throwing rubbish in the street. Why? because they don't have to care, who's going to stop them, who's going to punish them? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Here in Ireland, I remember an incident where one Friday night, students threw rubbish everywhere in our estate, everywhere. The next day the police were here asking us, "what did you see?", "who's responsible?". The next week the local university published a report in the newspaper scolding the students responsible. They were found, and FINED. . . . . . . . . . There are fines of up to 1000 Euros in some places in Ireland for dumping culprits . . . Look at this British Website: http://www.keepbritaintidy.org/Default.aspx . . . . . . . . . . To summarise:1) People of Libya, stop being cynical and lazy and waiting for the government to fix everything . . . 2) Authorities of Libya . . . Start a real, strong and committed nationwide campaign such as Britain's 'Keep Britain Tidy'. You did a great job with the seatbelt campaign, and it worked very well! Now move on to rubbish. . . . "

 

Temehu's reply: Thank you for your feedback; please accept our apology for editing your comment. You are right in that both the people and the council need to take action and help each other to keep their country tidy & clean. But we still have doubts about whether the campaign to Keep Britain Tidy had any impact on real life or not. We visit London regularly, and we still cannot see the difference: dog feces almost on every  pavement and cigarette ends everywhere you go. In relation to the fines you mentioned you have in Ireland, even though there is a £1000 fine in London for not picking up dog feces, dog owners still walk away from their crime scenes, and you cannot have a policeman chasing every dog owner in the capital waiting to issue the fine. The problem is located in people's minds. If people do what you did in Benghazi, then the council will have no one to fine! However, there is a fine of one hundred Libyan dinars already in place in Libya, for throwing rubbish randomly, but Libyan people still do what they normally do.

 

 

13 Junes 2010

"Check this link of a hotel made of rubbish: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2010/06/100604_rubbish_hotel_et_sl.shtml
Liz."

Temehu's reply: Thank you for the link. Very interesting project: a hotel made of rubbish collected from beaches has opened in Rome, Italy. The hotel, safely disinfected and supplied with new sheets, is named "Save The Beach", in an effort to bring our attention to the problem of rubbish, daily accumulating around the world's beaches, in a sense that once you sleep in the hotel you will wake up to the sad reality.

This image is a screen shot of the article at the above link, linked to a BBC video about the hotel.

This link leads to a video at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/10234605.stm

 

06 October 2010

Hello. again. I think it is wrong to write that it is tourists that make Libya dirty. I had the most respect for the country when I lived there. But the thing is that there is no any facilities for most of the garbage. Those facilities that are there are not enough. even on you photos there is a rubbish bin but it is more then ful and noone cleans it or emties it.
PS can you pls make an article about national crafmanship like national cloth, jewlery, carpets and so on with pictures. Anonymous wrote.

Yes, it is wrong to write that. But we did not write that. We were specific about: "This Western European group", while you are generalising and including all "tourists". The above photographic evidence implicates that group (the identity of which we have protected), but you are saying all tourists. We think it is wrong to write: "I think it is wrong to write that it is tourists that make Libya dirty."

There is no doubt that the people who make this planet dirty come from all over the world including from Europe, Africa, Asia and America. We have published some of the evidence in this page, and let us be clear about one thing: litter in Europe, in Africa, in America, and in Asia is a serious problem. Just watch the above (European) BBC video and you will know.

Thank You

Open

Thank you for your support and reading this far.