The garbage dump near the village of Aleko Konstantinovo, Region Pazardzik. The gypsy community living near the garbage dump
Acrid smoke from the expanding garbage dumpsite blows across the area. probably the garbage dump near the village of Aleko Konstantinovo (not far from Pazardzik) and the gypsy population living around are not much different from all other similar settlements in Bulgaria. A waste land of smoldering trash reaches into the distance. The smell is suffocating. Highly polluted water percolates into the aquifers below.
Not far from the dump is located the gypsy community. The garbage dump provides their livelihood. Gypsy men, women and children are sifting through the trash in search of scrap metals to recycle or edible wastes. Children play in the filth, hunting for ‘treasures’ in the garbage.
When communism fell in 1989, the gypsies lost their jobs and became dependent on capitalism’s welfare system, receiving payments partly based on the number of children per family. Gypsy people live in ghettoes, work as street sweepers – society’s lowest paid job or search the dumps for editable waste. The typical picture is of a large family with many kids and unbelievable poverty cycle.
This is a dangerous place to live – the health consequences may include impairment of the immune system, the nervous system, the endocrine system and the reproductive functions as well as health problems from burning garbage.
Pavel Gospodinov regards himself as a photographer specialized in Travel, Street/Urban, NGO/Humanitarian and Fine Art Photography.
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All content © 2010 by Pavel Gospodinov Photography
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