CNN did an interesting piece on the catadores from Jardim Gramacho, Rio's largest landfill and the setting for this year's best documentary, Waste Land. (Way to mention the movie, CNN. It only put Gramacho on the map, internationally anyway).
An excerpt: "Gramacho will close down for good in 2012 as the methane is extracted. It will be replaced by smaller, more modern landfills, good news for the environment but a bittersweet end for the garbage pickers who make their living here. They can earn between $400 and $2,500 a month, decent wages, although the working conditions can be very difficult."
Watch the report below:
If you haven't seen Waste Land yet, find out where it's playing near you and go!
I saw this CNN report just last week. This kind of "work" still exists elsewhere in Brazil. I have friends who have begun going to Honduras regularly to help and work with people who make their living off of the dump. Different situation though, given how desperately poor Honduras is in comparison to Brazil now.
Posted by: Igneousquill | December 18, 2010 at 02:18 PM