Life at Dumping Site
Stoeung Mean Chey Dumping site (located in Steung Mean Chey, Phnom Penh, Cambodia) is a good location for poor children to collect any recyclable items, such as tin cans, plastic, glass bottles and any other scrap that could be sold or recycled.
(Chheng Hear's Life, a child waste collector at Stoeung Meang Chey Dumping Site)
There are approximately 1000 tonnes of Phnom Penh's rubbish was dumped at Steung Mean Chey everyday, so men , women, and children would work in shifts over 24 hours in order to earn as much money as possible. However, their health at the dump was severely affected as they would breathe in the dangerous toxic fumes and often cut their bare feet on glass or dirty needles and medical waste hidden amongst the rubbish. Also, at night the dump was a very dangerous place where gangs, violence, rape and even traffickers were present. More importantly, Most children here have not completed primary school and most adults have had little or no access to education or vocational training, so their skillset is poor and they are unable to find better work.
The video above shows about a child waste collector (Chheng Hear) at Stoeung Mean Chey dumping site. That boy is actually do not want to work there, but he has no choice. He has to earn money to support his family needed. He wishes to be educated, but his dream is not true because of his financial family.
