Guatemala City Trash Dump

With hundreds of vultures circling overhead and the stench of decay filling the air, the workers in Guatemala City's trash dump earn between $3 and $20 for a day's work as they hand-collect plastic, bottles, cardboard, metal, and anything else they can sell to middlemen, who then sell the materials to factories. CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO VIEW FULL PHOTO, START SLIDE SHOW.

Enlarge | Buy This Photo Dump workers sort through materials they gathered from the dump trucks, awaiting sale to middlemen. THE BLADE/DAVID YONKE

Enlarge | Buy This Photo View of the dump from a cemetery atop a nearby cliff. THE BLADE/DAVID YONKE

Enlarge | Buy This Photo The entrance to the dump is protected by a wall, barbed wire, and armed guards. THE BLADE/DAVID YONKE

Enlarge | Buy This Photo An old woman carries a bag full of scavenged recyclables. The dump's operations manager said he didn't know her name ... THE BLADE/DAVID YONKE

Enlarge | Buy This Photo Pregnant women and minors are no longer allowed to work at the dump. THE BLADE/DAVID YONKE

Enlarge | Buy This Photo Dump workers pile up their day's worth of collected recyclables and get them ready sell to middlemen, who drive into ... THE BLADE/DAVID YONKE

Enlarge | Buy This Photo Rigoberto Carias, operations manager of the Guatemala City dump, says landfill officials have improved safety and health conditions for workers ... THE BLADE/DAVID YONKE

Enlarge | Buy This Photo Middlemen on the outskirts of the dump get their goods ready for delivery to recycling companies. THE BLADE/DAVID YONKE

Enlarge | Buy This Photo Teenage workers smash glass bottles to compact the materials that were bought from dump workers. THE BLADE/DAVID YONKE

Enlarge | Buy This Photo Brenda Judith Lopez, 47, said her mother brought her to the dump when she was 2 months old and has ... THE BLADE/DAVID YONKE