A mega-city of eighteen million people, Cairo produces roughly thirteen thousand tons of trash every day. But, like many cities in the developing world, it lacks an official sanitation system. For decades, a group of people known as the “Zabaleen”, Arabic for “garbage people”, have been Cairo's unofficial trash collectors, sorters and recyclers. They survive by recycling some eighty percent of the trash they collect. Compared to American cities, which recycle roughly thirty two percent of their waste, that's no small feat.
A new film by Mai Iskander called Garbage Dreams, follows boys born into Cairo's trash trade. It's showing at the Chicago Cultural Center on Saturday and will be followed by a discussion about recycling. Iskander fascination with the Zabaleen began early in life.
The film is showing at the Chicago Cultural Center on Saturday at 2pm and will be followed by a discussion about recycling.