Waste Land Page #3

We are making portraits

of the picker.

Because the picker is a person...

like this garbage,

that nobody knows about.

Very well,

so from what I understand,

I think this is very good for us...

because it will raise

awareness about us pickers.

- Isn't that about right?

- Exactly.

I hope you understand me

because I don't have...

either a primary or

a secondary education.

You didn't ask me, but

I'm going to introduce myself.

I like introducing myself

with my own voice.

I have been a picker here

for 26 years.

I am proud to be a picker.

I'm the Vice President

of ACAMJG...

the Association of Pickers

of Jardim Gramacho.

I represent 2,500 pickers

who work here at the landfill.

I carry this with pride.

Let's say each household

generates one kilo of garbage.

And one kilo of garbage generates

So a thousand homes

generate 500 kilos...

of material that could be recycled.

That's 500 kilos less of material that

would pollute the rivers, the lagoons...

that won't clog the sewers

or be buried here in the landfill...

doing such great harm

to nature and the environment.

I try to explain to people...

what they can recycle

and what they can compost...

and what they should do.

People sometimes say

"But one single can?"

One single can is

of great importance.

Because 99 is not 100,

and that single one will

make the difference.

I feel disgusting.

I can't believe you want

to show me all dirty.

So tell me Isis, how long

have you worked here?

- Five years.

- Five years?

And what's it like working here?

- Really bad. Awful.

- Really bad?

You don't like it?

Look Vik, it's Vik, right?

This isn't a future.

But you make

good money here, right?

Yes, I make US$20-$25 a day.

Beautiful!

That's right!

Very good!

It really is very good.

Think about what you're going to do

when you get out of Gramacho.

When you're rich and famous.

I met someone.

And today I am in love with him.

He is a truck driver.

It's just that...

I can't talk about it

or I'll start to cry.

It's been 2 weeks

since we broke up.

I really like him.

He was a good thing in my life.

But it's been two weeks

since we broke up.

I got a tattoo of his name

on my leg.

And you won't get back together?

I don't think so.

Why did you break up?

It ended because...

he was married.

And so it ended.

Look out! Get out of the way!

I have nothing to complain

about in my life.

Nothing, nothing at all.

Oh, man, if I complained

God would punish me.

Tell him what you want be.

I want to be a doctor.

What kind a doctor?

A psychologist.

Did you know that psychologists

take care of crazy people?

- Yeah.

- No, that's not true.

No? So what do psychologists do?

There was a woman

there who was blonde.

Oh. Beto's wife!

And she told me that if I wanted

I could be a psychologist.

So that's why I want

to be a psychologist.

It's ruiet now because there are

no wars between the favelas.

But when there are

wars between the favelas...

you can be sure that a lot

of dead bodies will be dumped here.

There are always weird things here.

Marat!

Yeah, who's Marat?

- Marat was an intellectual...

- Oh, like me.

Nobody else likes the guys I like.

I like Machiavelli.

Machiavelli's cool.

- Who I really like is Nietzsche.

- What about Nietzsche?

Nietzsche's got a great

philosophy on life.

Let's make Tio into Marat.

He died in the bathtub like this.

- Bring that bathtub!

- I'm going to play a dead guy.

One time I was walking in the

garbage and I came across this book.

It was all muddy and on it was written

"The Prince" by Machiavelli.

I felt like reading it so I took it home

and put it behind the fridge to dry.

When it dried out I began to read.

Machiavelli wrote about all

of the princes of his day.

That time period in Florence,

that madness...

it reminds me a lot of Rio today,

all these different fiefdoms...

each with their own gangs

and their own fortifications.

I got really into it.

He talks about Moses, who became

leader because God talked to him.

And Cesare Borgia,

because of the corrupt pope.

That was when I was becoming

President of the Association.

I learned a lot.

Be careful!

You can get further in,

and sit up a bit more.

My legs will stick out.

- You can bend them.

- We'll cut that out.

He's like this.

That's it.

This piece of paper is

in the left hand.

This hand.

That's it exactly! That's right!

- Got it!

- Thank you, Tio!

Very cool, man!

Do you want juice?

Coffee?

This is beef stew, rib stew.

Here's boiling water

to make pasta.

Hand me that bag!

When the market produce ends up

here in boxes, it's easier for me.

I get potatoes

and vegetables.

The drivers from the supermarket

trucks bring me clean vegetables.

If the meat truck comes, the boys

get it before the expiration date.

I am a trained cook,

a restaurant cook.

In this garbage I make many things.

I make salads, potato,

roast beef.

When I can get a good cut of meat,

I roast it for them.

And them they get silly and

sing me happy birthday,

even though it isn't my birthday.

We feel good in here.

I feel very good.

Even if it rains,

I get the fire running to cook.

I don't let anyone go hungry.

- Just like that.

- Like that?

That's right, but face me!

Don't put this on TV, I'd die.

I first came here almost a year ago.

My husband became unemployed.

And we had to pay the bills, keep

the household, support my son.

We would get on the bus,

and people would go like this.

It's quite a perfume!

It got to the point where I'd say:

Excuse me ma'am, but do I stink?

Do you smell something bad?

It's because I was working

over there in the dump.

It's better than

turning tricks in Copacabana.

I find it to be

more interesting and more honest.

It's more dignified.

I stink now, but when I get home

I'll take a shower, and it'll be fine.

But it's disgusting.

It's easy for you to be sitting there

at home in front of your television...

consuming whatever you want

and tossing everything in the trash...

and leaving it out on the street for

the garbage truck to take it away.

But where does that garbage go?

That's it.

We go along.

The fight is expensive.

We have a great value.

Come on boy!

Come here

and get your hands dirty.

When you go to get your money

you don't say it's dirty.

Easy there. Let's go.

Come on, come on!

Fabio, we need to see

what material you're going to use.

Ok, so the easiest thing

to decide is the carnival stuff.

Costumes and things like that?

Costumes and things because clear

glass is no of no use for me.

But green champagne bottles,

brown beer bottles, costumes...

you could collect things

like that for me.

Are we going to do it

by weight or by tarpful?

How do we do it? They told me

that a tarp cost US$0.40 per kilo?

Per kilo, yeah.

And they said that one

cost US$0.70 cents?

Yes, US$0.71 cents.

This is PET. When it makes

that noise you know it's PET.

That for example is not PET,

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