Waste Land Documentary

"Waste Land" is a documentary about the garbage picker at Jardim Gramacho land fill in Rio De Janiero. These people pick through garbage to separate the recyclable materials from the garbage. They are very poor people, but they are still people. In the beggining of this movie i really didn't know that there were any "Pickers" in the world. I feel kind of dumb but i thought that machines separated the recyclables from the garbage. By the end of this movie i realized that "99 isn't 100" -Valter(Picker). The more we recycle, the less pickers we will need. These "Pickers" are real people, with real feelings, and real families.

Vik Muñiz made a very strong impact on Jardim Gramacho and the people working there. Vik Muñiz is a very popular and sucessful artist that makes art out of dirt, garbage, and natural materials. He took pictures of the pickers, then he projected the images on the ground, covered them with garbage, took a picture of that, and sold them. Some were sold, and put in an art musuem. Vik then gave all the money made to Jardim Gramacho. With this money, a learning center was built, a library was built, and computers were bought to put in the library. Vik really impacted these peoples lives for the better.

I am very greatful for the service that the pickers provide but I would rather have a "dishonest" job than a "honest" job like being a picker. I would not want to be a picker or a job that society considers degrading because I would want a job like a lawyer or doctor that pays a lot. Even though I would not want to be a picker, I still appreciate their work.

After watching this movie I realized how much garbage is produced just in one town. Imagine how much is produced in a state, country, continent, and the world? It's mindblowing how many people don't recycle and how we need so many pickers just to pick out the recyclables that people don't recycle. My moms house doesn't recycle but my dads house does. I don't think watching the video will change the way my families consume and dispose of trash.

Other societies that could be highlighted in Vik Muniz's artistic ways are poor societies in other countries. There are poor people in Africa that do whatever work they can find, just like the pickers in Rio De Janiero.

This video really moved me and I strongly recommend it to everyone!