Lebanese protesters pose for a photograph as other set fire to plastic barriers and trash behind the barbed wire separating them from the police, during a protest against the trash crisis and government corruption, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015. The powerful Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah threw its weight behind mass protests calling for the government’s resignation Tuesday, deepening a crisis that started over trash collection but is tapping into a much deeper malaise. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Lebanese riot policemen clash with Lebanese protesters during a protest against the trash crisis and government corruption, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015. The powerful Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah threw its weight behind mass protests calling for the government’s resignation Tuesday, deepening a crisis that started over trash collection but is tapping into a much deeper malaise. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Lebanese activists clash with riot policemen, during a protest against the ongoing trash crisis, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015. The powerful Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah threw its weight behind mass protests calling for the government’s resignation Tuesday, deepening a crisis that started over trash collection but is tapping into a much deeper malaise. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Lebanese policemen stoop over and beat a protester, his leg seen emerging on the right, during a protest against the ongoing trash crisis, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015. The powerful Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah threw its weight behind mass protests calling for the government’s resignation Tuesday, deepening a crisis that started over trash collection but is tapping into much deeper malaise. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Lebanese paramedics carry away an injured demonstrator, during a protest against the ongoing trash crisis, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015. The powerful Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah threw its weight behind mass protests calling for the government’s resignation Tuesday, deepening a crisis that started over trash collection but is tapping into a much deeper malaise. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Al Jazzera
What ostensibly began as public frustration over the Lebanese government’s failure to tackle the country’s rubbish crisis has since swelled into massive street protests, with residents from across the political spectrum calling for a change in government.
Al Jazeera examines what is really behind the public outcry and how the situation might evolve from this point.
How did it all start?