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The Dump
The Dump
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In Zone 3 of Guatemala City there is a garbage dump which has housed the waste produced by the inhabitants of the City for nearly 50 years. Families live and work in and around this dump in extreme poverty, literally surviving on what the rest of society deems fit to throw away.
The process of collecting and sorting rubbish is developed in several phases. The “guajeros” await the arrival of the trucks carrying the rubbish. When the trucks are emptied, their search starts. Generally a stick is used to separate the rubbish. Among the most sought after objects are cans, paper, glass, metal, plastic and cardboard.
However they also seek the basic necessities to aid them in their daily lives: clothes, food, toys. In fact a great deal of the clothes that they wear and the food that they eat is found precisely this way.
The women who work on the dump also search for cosmetics, perfumes and clothes that they can use for themselves. Their belief is that the rubbish dump contains many hidden treasures. the recovered material is sold to the intermediaries who loiter around the dump trucks.