Beirut: Revolution is a beautiful thing, but it is also messy. These Lebanese volunteers are taking to the streets early every morning to clean up after the protesters.
###
Young and old are flocking to Lebanon’s protest centres to pick up garbage and recycle from 7:30am to 11am.
######
They say its their national duty and they are not being paid for their services.
###
A Lebanese mother and her three children were spotted wearing hand-gloves picking up litter and cigarette butts.
######
Other volunteers were seen scattered around doing various jobs such as carrying garbage bags, sweeping the pavements and collecting empty water bottles.
###
“Basically this is our home. Can you keep your home dirty?” said Rogeh, a university student, told Gulf News.
###
Yara, another young volunteer, has been coming to Martyr’s Square, one of the largest protest centers in the country, every day.
###
“A group of us have come every day to clean up the mess and recycle,” she says.
###
A booth has been set up adjacent to Martyr’s Square, called “The Green Tent”.
######
“The Green Tent is a spontaneous individual initiative turned into a collective environmental effort to keep our streets clean while we protest. We have also set recycling bins here at the booth,” Dareen Charafeddine, a group member told Gulf News.
###
Founder of Recycle Lebanon Jocelyn Kaadi said: “We are here all working together hand in hand. We have stations set up all the morning teaching people how to sort and recycle.”
######
Saria, a volunteer, said she was overlooking the process of loading up the recycled trash bags on to pickup trucks to be driven away to waste dumps.
###
Noha, a mother twin girls, brings her daughters to the site to help clean up.
###
“It teaches them the importance of cleaning your country and having a better future,” she says.
###
-Bassam is a freelance journalist based in Beirut
######