Dump workers sort through materials they gathered from the dump trucks, awaiting sale to middlemen.
The Blade/David Yonke
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View of the dump from a cemetery atop a nearby cliff.
The Blade/David Yonke
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The entrance to the dump is protected by a wall, barbed wire, and armed guards.
The Blade/David Yonke
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An old woman carries a bag full of scavenged recyclables. The dump's operations manager said he didn't know her name but said "she has been here forever."
The Blade/David Yonke
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Pregnant women and minors are no longer allowed to work at the dump.
The Blade/David Yonke
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Dump workers pile up their day's worth of collected recyclables and get them ready sell to middlemen, who drive into the dump in pickup trucks and haul away the materials.
The Blade/David Yonke
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Rigoberto Carias, operations manager of the Guatemala City dump, says landfill officials have improved safety and health conditions for workers and have made progress on preventing avalanches and fires among the trash piles.
The Blade/David Yonke
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Middlemen on the outskirts of the dump get their goods ready for delivery to recycling companies.
The Blade/David Yonke
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Teenage workers smash glass bottles to compact the materials that were bought from dump workers.
The Blade/David Yonke
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Brenda Judith Lopez, 47, said her mother brought her to the dump when she was 2 months old and has been working here ever since.
The Blade/David Yonke
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