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Dumpster diving, Argentina’s lifeline - 13th July 2023

Grappling with a staggering inflation rate of 114 percent, the economic plight faced by Argentina’s citizens has reached distressing levels. The cost of essential food items has spiralled by 117 percent within a year, meaning wages have fallen drastically behind the cost of living.

Consequently, women like Gladys Meza and Limpia Benitez undertake a weekly journey from Buenos Aires' outskirts, resorting to dumpster diving outside the central market to secure nourishment for their families.

Limpia Benitez: "Today I came with my neighbour to collect vegetables. We don't see them as trash, at least I don't. I thank God for having this, because my husband works and he works on the books, but it's not enough. It's not enough. And well, at least to help him, I come here to collect vegetables."

Poverty has enveloped nearly 40 percent of a country, once hailed as the wealthiest in South America. Rather than feeling shame, the women rummaging through rubbish bins are angry about the sheer amount of waste.

Limpia Benitez: "Obviously, it sometimes makes me angry and I think to myself: 'Why, God? Why? Why so much waste?' There is so much hunger, there are people who are really in need. The other day, 15 days ago, I had a cart and a bag full. Those vegetables lasted only two days because I gave them to all my neighbours, to the people who really needed them. I am not cheap."

After their arduous scavenging expedition, the women journey back to their homes via bus and train, hauling up to 20 kilograms of salvaged produce which they diligently clean, sort and use to prepare meals. Anything unfit for human consumption is repurposed as animal feed or compost.

Limpia Benitez: "But I'm not ashamed, I don't feel bad about this. On the contrary, I feel good because I take it as a job, because in fact, we are also working, we make an effort to carry everything."

Engaging in their dumpster diving routine, these resourceful women manage to accumulate savings of up to $30 per week, surpassing the earnings of acquaintances who toil for 9 to 10 hours cleaning houses. As they persist in their quest for higher-paying employment opportunities and soaring inflation continues to bite, scavenging will persist as an indispensable means of survival.