Burning waste has become a famous way to get rid of garbage that locals claim, there is no other option in a country where garbage disposing systems are weak. Unfortunately, proper waste system is not found in over 90 percent of the country according to the Ministry of Health, and is only spread in some parts of major cities, resulting in locals finding other solutions to burn their waste. "We understand that if we burn waste, it could hurt our atmosphere and cause pollution in parts of the country, but what do you expect us to do with our waste! It is either that or leaving it there until it becomes a very serious risk to our health and cause greater problems," said Nabil Ahmad Duais, an Ibb native who admits burning his wastes on a weekly basis.

Linked to the bad garbage disposing system in Yemen, doctors at Al-Jumhoory Hospital's cancer centre disclosed that the number of patients with cancer is on the rise. Approximately 20,000 Yemenis are diagnosed annually with the disease, with more than 5,000 traveling abroad for treatment. The most common cancers are lung, mouth, stomach, liver, and skin. According to the doctors and several research studies, one of the major causes for these diseases is the spread of garbage everywhere around the country in the streets, resulting to contaminated food and water. “ People don’t know where to throw their waste. When it becomes a large bundle they either throw it in a nearby land or street, or burn it,” said a Dr. Ahmad Mansoor, of Al-Jumhoory Hospital. “The negative aspects from such systems make waste a threat for every person in the county.”

According to the ministry of Health, The main source of the pollution that Yemen suffers from is attributed from transportation, electricity power stations, stones crushers and cutters, the red local bricks bakeries spread all over the country. "The pollution that comes from transportation and red brick among others is a health factor that could affect our country in the near future, and cause more diseases to spread, in a time that we consider our self's strong health wise," said Mansoor Ali Mohammed, from the ministry of health.

Rural area tribal Shiekh Mansoor Abdul Wali al-Wosabi, who lives in Dhammar governorate, says that no garbage disposing system exists in all rural areas. He claims that his village is less than two hours away from the capital, but all the garbage is burnt, causing risks of danger and health problems for the residents of those areas. “All the garbage is either burnt or thrown in the valleys. We are not surprised that there is no disposing system in our areas yet, because we don't have proper roads or medical centers, which are more important." Al-Wosabi clarifies that the matter of having disposing systems in rural areas has not been brought up to the government because bigger and more important issues have not been granted yet like drinking water system, electricity, and roads." With my prediction with the way development is growing slowly, for the next 20 years, rural area residents will be forced to burn their own garbage or through it in the valleys or mountains."

In the capital, according to the Ministry of Labor, over 2000 employees work around the city to keep it clean at all time. These employees, which most are not Yemeni, work on a 24 hour basis and during three different shifts to insure that the capital is safe from diseases that are caused by garbage, spread everywhere. Ali Abdo Honna, a street sweeper and garbage man mentions that one of his responsibilities it to keep the area of Tahreer, an area in the heart of the capital, clean during the afternoon and evening. He mentions that he is surprised how quickly streets become dirty even minutes after they were cleaned by his previous collogues in the previous shift. “If we stop cleaning the streets for one day, things will get out of hand and streets will become dirtier than anyone expects." He added "Personally, I believe that we are doing the best we can and soon I think the government will spread its employees to other cities around the country."