Argentina's dumpster divers

Inflation in Argentina has hit 114 percent and food prices have soared117 percent in the last 12 months but wages are not keeping pace. This has forced many women to dumpster dive in order to feed their families.

Gladys Meza and Limpia Benitez travel from the outskirts of Buenos Aires every week to scour the dumpsters outside the capital’s central market.

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."

With poverty affecting around 40 percent of the country, once considered the richest in South America, the women aren’t ashamed of going through the rubbish to collect food. Rather, they’re angry at the 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."

The women travel home by bus and train, carrying up to 20 kilograms of produce each, before setting to, to clean, sort and prepare the food. Any produce that can’t be used for human consumption will be fed to the animals or used for composting.

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."

The women can save up to US$30 a week each by going through the market rubbish, surpassing what some of their friends earn cleaning houses working 9 or 10 hours a week. Whilst they continue to search for well paid jobs and food prices continue to soar, dumpster diving will remain a necessity. View Less