Stung Meanchey Dump Phnom Penh Cambodia (112 images)

Stung Meanchey landfill, nicknamed by residents as "Smokey Mountain". Stung Meanchey opened more than 15 years ago to serve as the city dump and today some 2000 registered workers, including 600 children, work at the site sifting through roughly 700 tons of waste that arrives each day. The World Bank states that 35% of Cambodia's population of around 14 million exists on less than $.50 USD per day. Since an adult who spends 12 hours per day scavenging through this sea of waste...
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Stung Meanchey landfill, nicknamed by residents as "Smokey Mountain". Stung Meanchey opened more than 15 years ago to serve as the city dump and today some 2000 registered workers, including 600 children, work at the site sifting through roughly 700 tons of waste that arrives each day. The World Bank states that 35% of Cambodia's population of around 14 million exists on less than $.50 USD per day. Since an adult who spends 12 hours per day scavenging through this sea of waste may earn as much as 10,000 reil, or the equivalent of $2.50 USD, many of the workers come to work at Stung Meanchey to escape the crushing poverty and malnourishment found in several areas of rural Cambodia. Their newfound wealth comes with a heavy price however, as they are forced to breathe in heavy air polluted by the constant smolder that generates toxic byproducts from the flaming heaps of garbage.

This dump is now closed as of late 2009.

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