The mountain burned. Plumes of smoke rose, the stench of burning waste permeating every square inch of the rubbish island. Beneath Almeeda’s feet lay the shame of her country—hidden to the tourists expecting paradise. In the same pair of steel-capped boots she got when she first started the job a decade ago, she waded through the mountains of garbage, separating the real trash from what could still be salvaged for other markets. She kicked a few cans out with the tip of her boot—her only protection from the mercury and other toxins—and set them aside to bring to the collection … Continue reading One Person’s Trash