Top 5 landfill documentaries uncovering pollution around the world
There are some places in the world where filth and poverty are facts of life for thousands of people. RTD landfill documentaries discover the poor who have to live off the garbage of others, and places where pollution is so harmful it’s killing the planet. Here are the top 5 landfill documentaries you shouldn’t miss:
1. Deadly Waters
RTD explores what’s called the most-polluted river in the world. The Citarum River in Indonesia is the source of water for 27 million people. It’s filled with poisonous effluent from factories and human waste. The surface is a raft of discarded plastic. The river is so polluted that fish no longer live in it, but people still have to drink the water.
2. Fuming Felix
Close to the historic city of Naples, burning landfills have devastated the health of people living in the Campania region. Illegal dumping and wildfires have created an ecological disaster almost as deadly as nearby volcano Mount Vesuvius.
3. Zabbaleen: Trash Town
The documentary shows the suburb of the Egyptian capital Cairo, where tens of thousands of people make a living from the capital’s trash. Recycling is a way of life, but also a trap. The children often have no other choice than to follow their parents into the dirty and lowly garbage business.
4. ToxiCity
It’s a place where electronics come to die, but unfortunately, people do too. ‘ToxiCity’ uncovers dump for old electronics in Ghana that is killing the environment and the people. Despite the risks involved Ghanaians see recycling scrap computers and printers as a vital source of employment and income. Without any health and safety regulations, the lives of adults and children are put at risk.
5. The Beast of Zone 3
Guatemala has a dangerous reputation, and one of the most hazardous parts is highlighted in ‘The Beast of Zone 3’. The Basurero dump outside Guatemala City is a vast landfill, where locals dig through the mountains of rubbish looking for gold. The dump is run by criminal gangs, who exert a hefty price on those who dare to cross them. Even so many are willing to risk all to find anything that will earn them money to live.
Watch more landfill documentaries below: