Over 15 million
people are confirmed to live and work in communities that rely on garbage dumps worldwide, though this is expected to be a gross underestimate. This number is on the rise.
– International Solid Waste Association
landfill
A carefully maintained structure built into or on top of the ground, where waste is disposed of through regulated, systematic burnings.
GARBAGE DUMP
A place where garbage is dumped illegally and/or without the careful regulations of a landfill. Instead of being burned, garbage in garbage dumps is left to rot.
Communities that Rely On Garbage
In communities that rely on garbage dumps, the people survive by either working or living within a city garbage dump. The families we work with specifically make their living as “recyclers” or “pickers,” combing through the garbage to find items to sell or keep. Those who live here have to be incredibly resilient because this way of life does not pay well. Many of the families live on less than $2 a day, putting them below the United Nations line for extreme poverty. Living in a community next to a garbage dump also has adverse effects on both physical and mental health, combined with extremely high barriers for accessing healthcare, education, proper food and shelter, and employment opportunities outside the garbage dump.
Years old
The average life expectancy in these communities.
– ISWA & the Waste Atlas
The dangers that families face in garbage dump communities
Garbage dumps are incredibly dangerous places to live and work, with dangers that we don’t think about in our day-to-day lives. The minority of deaths in garbage dumps are natural. Causes of danger and death include:
Methane gas buildup causing spontaneous combustion
Getting swallowed into garbage landslides and suffocating
Illness from contaminated food and water, toxic air, and lack of sanitation
Serious and/or gangrenous injury from glass or shrapnel
Being run over by garbage trucks/crushed by contents
Disease and disability caused by medical waste dumping
Gang violence and blackmail based on region
Trauma and mental illness related to severity of the conditions
our most frequently asked questions
Q: Why would someone live here?
A: Because they have no other choice.
- Garbage dumps are mostly inhabited by vulnerable populations, including those who face extreme poverty, severe illness and/or disability, and lack of educational opportunities.
- Garbage dumps are the only place in these areas where people can live for free and find items that they can keep for their families or sell for profit, which incentivizes vulnerable populations to stay there.
- In almost all garbage dumps, recycling garbage offers opportunities for small wages for those willing to filter through the contents – a wage that allows individuals and their families to survive, but not a high enough wage for them to leave.
Q: Why don’t the people here leave?
A: Because they can’t afford to.
- Families get trapped in a cycle of generational poverty because the wages offered by recycling are not high enough to cover even their most basic needs.
- Most garbage dump communities don’t have access to schools. Without access to formal education or jobs that offer enough money to relocate, those living in garbage dumps cannot afford to live or work elsewhere, or save money to invest in their futures.
- Living and working in the garbage dump often leads to sickness, disease, or serious injury, further trapping generations of families in the garbage dump.
The locations where we work
Repi in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Also known as Kore or Koshe, which means “dirty,” this dumpsite holds the trash of 6 million people. About 3,500 people work at this dumpsite.
City Dumpsites in San Pedro Sula & Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Honduras remains one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. Thousands of people (men, women, and children) dig through trash for recyclables and food.
Riverton City Dump in Riverton, Jamaica
A series of massive fires starting in the dump ravaged the community of Riverton in recent years, yet 3,000 recyclers still live and work here.
Guatemala City, Guatemala
It is estimated that 2,000 recyclers work at the dumpsite in Guatemala City, the largest in Central America.
The Dandora Dumpsite in Nairobi, Kenya
Dandora dump is a sprawling dumpsite that covers over 30 acres. Dandora opened in 1975, was deemed full by 2001, but continues to operate beyond capacity.
Kiteezi Dumpsite in Kampala, Uganda
The Kiteezi dumpsite is the largest dump in both Uganda and East Africa. Thousands of people live directly on and around the garbage of this dumpsite. A tragic landslide temporarily closed the dumpsite in August of 2024.