The world’s top-three dumps

The world’s top-three dumps, where, amid rampant squalor, filth and trash, people attempt to scratch a meagre existence.

ToxiCity

Agbogbloshie hosts one of the world’s largest dumps. Located just outside Ghana’s capital, it’s one of the most polluted areas in Africa. Toxic metals, including dangerous levels of lead and cadmium, burning plastics, and insanitary conditions abound. Of course, disease is rife, but poverty forces adults and kids from all the country to work there to make ends meet. 

Zabbaleen: Trash Town

Zabbaleen is a township of rubbish collectors on the outskirts of Cairo. To all intents and purposes, the entire area is a dump. It provides the residents with almost everything they need: from kids’ toys to fodder for livestock. Despite the dangerous and unsanitary conditions, the dump is the only source of work and income for many local people.

The Beast of Zone 3

Guatemala City is home to the largest garbage dump in Central America. It’s possible to find gold, silver and other precious things there, so the locals call it ‘The Mine’ . Those working the dump also risk being swept away by landslides. Nevertheless, they sort, collect and sell rubbish, dreaming of making a fortune but in reality just scratching a living.